The KINGBIRD New York State Ornithological Association, Inc. Vol. 58 No. 3 September 2008 THE Kii^GBIRD (ISSN fKJ23'ltiC)6K published quarterly (March, June, September. Decemher). rs a peer-reviewed publicaiion of the New York State Ornithologieaf Associatinn. (ne., which has been organized to further the study ol bird life and to disseminate knowledge thereof, to educate the public in (he need for conserving natural resources, and to dociimem the oniithology of the state and maintain the official Checklist of the Birds of New York State. Please note our official website address; http://nybirds.org Members of NY SO A receive TVie Kinghint and also (he newsletter New York Birders. Membership is available in the following annua! categories: %22 Cofitributing S25 Kingbird Club IS 12 Lifetime $30 Institutional Individual Pamily Student Supporting $50 $1(K) $900 $25 Applications for membership and subscriptions: New York State Ornithological Association, Inc., P.O Box 95. Durhamville. NY 13054. Requests fur single copies and back numhers ($5.00 each)i: Tim Baird, 242 E, State St.. Salamanca. NY 14779. All amounts stated above are payable in US funds only, with checks payable to NVSOA. Add $8 to all categories for addresses other than US. Postmaster—seitd address changes to: THE KI^'CRIRD, P.O. Box 95, Durhamville, fS V 13054. ©2(K)S New York State OrnithoU>gie£il .Association, Inc. All rights reserved. NEW YORK STATE ORM ITIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, INC, 2007-2008 Officers President William Ostrander, 80 Westmont Ave., Elmira, NY' 14905 Vice-President Catena Puoth, 22 Brothers Rd.. Poughquag, NY 12570 Corresponding Secretary Timothy H Baird. 242 E, State St., Salamanca, NY 14779 Recording Secretary Brenda Best, 5611 Irish Ridge Rd.. Durhamville, NY 13054-4112 John Confer Jane Graves I'reasurer William B Reeve.s, 19 Brian Lane. East Nonhpon, MY 117.31 -3810 Kathryn Schneider Robert Adamo Andrew Mason Robert Mauceli Directors (Term Expiration Dates) 2008 2008 2008 2009 2009 2009 continued on inside back cover ^KINGBIRD PUBLICATtON OF THE NEW YORK STATE ORNrrHOLOGlCAi ASSOCiATlON, (HC, Volume 58 No. 3_September 2008 pp. 213-308 CONTENTS The New York State Museum Bird Collection: A Resource for Educators and Ornithologists Jeremy J. Kirchman.214 January Waterfowl Count, 2008, and Some Observations on Long-term Trends Bryan L. Swift.220 Spring Arrival of Tree Swallow and Eastern Phoebe in the Adirondacks Mark Gretch.230 Notes and Observations.233 Highlights of the Season — Spring 2008 Robert G. Spahn.234 Regional Reports.243 Photo Gallery.259 Standard Regional Report Abbreviations and Reporting Deadlines.307 Map of Reporting Regions.308 Editor - S. S. Mitra Regional Reports Editor - Robert G. Spahn Circulation Managers - Barbara Butler, Berna Lincoln Cover Photo - Eastern Kingbird, 17 May 2005, Central Park, New York, copyright David Speiser. The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) 213 THE NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM BIRD COLLECTION: A RESOURCE FOR EDUCATORS AND ORNITHOLOGISTS Jeremy J. Kirchman Curator of Birds, New York State Museum 3140 Cultural Education Center Aibany, NY 12230 jkirchma@mail.nysed.gov The New York State Museum (NYSM) is the oldest state museum in the United States, and its bird collection is one of the most historically and scientifically important in northeastern North America. The collection comprises over 14,000 skins, skeletons, egg sets (some with nests), spread wings, taxidermy mounts, whole anatomical specimens (alcoholics), and a small but growing collection of frozen tissues. In terms of size, NYSM is a distant third among bird collections in New York, behind the American Museum of Natural History (the world’s largest, at well over one million specimens) and Cornell University’s Museum of Vertebrates (ca. 50,000 specimens), but is near the top of all museums with respect to specimens from the state of New York. Beginning in September 2006, when I became curator of the collection, I have endeavored to establish an electronic database of our current holdings, with an ultimate goal of making our collection searchable on the internet. This database now comprises a total of 10,600 specimens, representing our holdings of skins (including spread wings), mounts, skeletons, and alcoholics through the year 2006. Our extensive egg/nest collection has not yet been incorporated into the database. In this paper I briefly describe the NYSM bird collection, highlighting its geographical coverage, historic importance, and value to New York’s ornithologists and educators. I conclude with some thoughts on my goals for future growth and maintenance of the bird collection, and provide information for those wishing to use this public resource in their own teaching and research. The Value of Bird Specimens New York State Museum bird specimens are a permanent, public archive of avian diversity in New York State and beyond. Each specimen documents the occurrence of a species at a particular time and place, and is also an irreplaceable source of plumage, anatomical and life-history data. Salvaging and responsibly collecting birds remains an essential research method for studying the biology, ecology, systematics, and genetics of wild birds, and a well curated museum collection has great scientific utility and legacy (Remsen 1995, Suarez and Tsutsui 2004, Winker 2004). 214 The Kingbird 200% September; 58 (3) Bird specimens and the data recorded on their tags are used by ornithologists to document changing bird distributions and to study a wide variety of patterns including feather replacement, diet, age structure, reproductive condition, seasonal movements, geographic variation, and comparative anatomy. Skeleton specimens are necessary for identification of fossil bones from paleontological and archeological sites (Reitz and Wing 1999). Skins serve as independently verifiable vouchers of record for published taxonomic revisions, and are indispensable in studies of avian systematics (Peterson et al. 2007). Skins are also important vouchers of hybrid phenotypes, documenting the occurrence and movement of hybrid zones, and of geographical phenotypes in studies of population genetics and species boundaries (Reudink et ah 2007). Egg sets were important in establishing the link between pesticide exposure and eggshell thinning in raptors (Ratcliffe 1967), and are now being used to document earlier laying dates in migratory species in correlation with global warming trends. Skins, skeletons and eggs are also sources of tissues that are now routinely used in biochemical analyses of DNA and stable isotopes (Mundy et al. 1997, Rocque and Winker 2005, Lee and Prys-Jones 2008). As these examples make clear, technological and theoretical advances continually result in new research questions that can be answered by museum specimens, questions that could not have been imagined by the naturalists who collected and prepared the specimens so long ago. In addition to their many research uses, NYSM bird specimens are a valuable resource for educators teaching courses in ornithology, vertebrate zoology, and evolution. Skins and taxidermy mounts are good complements to field-based courses that teach species identification. Skins and skeletons are valuable demonstration material for teaching adaptations for flight, feeding adaptations, functional morphology, and vertebrate homologies. Collection History On April 15, 1836, New York governor William Marcy signed legislation that established the Geological and Natural History Survey, and appointed the first official staff, including one zoologist, James E. DeKay. This act realized the long-held goal of Governor DeWittt Clinton for a formal program to survey the State’s geological and biological resources. In 1843 the legislature established the State Cabinet of Natural History as a repository for the resulting collections of specimens. Following DeKay’s work on the original Survey, work in zoology lapsed for several decades. Many of DeKay’s successors prepared small numbers of bird specimens, but most collection growth has been through the acquisition of private and academic collections. A plot of the cumulative number of specimens that have reliable dates (Fig. 1), shows periods of sharp growth that can easily be linked to important individual collections. Most were acquired decades after the collecting was done, so the trajectories in Figure 1 do not represent the actual temporal pattern of growth of the NYSM collection. The Kingbird 200^ September; 58 (3) 215 Figure 1. Growth of the NYS Museum bird collection from 1836 to 2006. Important collections of bird skins from the early period from about 1870 to 1900 include those of Clinton Hart Merriam, J. E. Benedict, and the larger collections of Eugene P. Bicknell (380 birds, mostly from Bronx County), James H. Miller (335 birds from Lewis County), and C. C. Young (250 birds from the New York City area). Nearly all of the early growth in the skeleton collection is from the acquisition of the R. W. Shufeldt collection (250 skeletons from New Mexico and other western states). Most specimens from the 1920s and 1930s are from the huge Roy Latham collection, comprising over 1300 skins and mounts from Suffolk County. The growth in skin specimens between 1948 and 1971, is due to the two large collections of Steven W. Eaton of St. Bonaventure University, and William C. Dilger of Cornell University. The Eaton collection of over 1100 specimens includes skins, skeletons, and many specimens retaining a skin plus partial skeleton, primarily from Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties. Dilger collected nearly 500 birds throughout the State of New York. The growth in the skeleton collection that begins in the 1940s is due to the Eaton collection and to substantial contributions by J. C. Jones and E. J. Greenberg, both of whom collected mostly in Albany County. Historically, a NYSM Curator of Zoology was responsible for all zoological specimens except insects. In the last few decades, the responsibility has been divided among multiple curators. In 2006, the position of Curator of Birds was established for the first time. Although some NYSM staff scientists were ornithologists, including Ralph S, Palmer (1942-1978), Edgar M. Reilly (1955- 1983), and David W. Steadman (1985-1995), bird collecting and salvage by NYSM employees was minimal. Important exceptions are Dayton Stoner (1932- 1944); Paul F. Conner (1960-1985), who collected a series of spread wings and tails; Steadman, who prepared and traded for many hundreds of skeletons; and Roland W. Kays (1995-2006, now NYSM Curator of Mammals), who contributed a small number of skeletons and alcoholics and who established the collection of frozen tissues for genetic analyses. Geographic Coverage Of the 10,600 databased specimens, 9483 have reliable locality data. Most specimens lacking locality data are taxidermy mounts formerly on exhibition at 216 The Kingbird 200% September; 58 (3) NYSM and elsewhere. The vast majority of the bird collection (78%) is from the state of New York (Figure 2a), placing us third among all museums behind AMNH (ca. 20,000 from NY) and Cornell (ca. 14,500). The Buffalo Museum of Science (ca. 5000), the Smithsonian (ca. 4400), Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology (ca. 3400) and Chicago’s Field Museum (ca. 1800) also have substantial holdings of birds from New York. The NYSM collection also includes specimens from 47 U.S. states and 39 foreign countries (Figure 2a). Geographic coverage within New York is highly variable (Figure 2b), with many counties represented by fewer than 20 total specimens of all species. Areas with the best representation include Albany and surrounding counties (representing the work of many collectors over the last 170 years), Southwestern NY (Eaton collection), Tompkins County (Dilger and others), Tug Hill Plateau (Miller collection), the New York City region (Bicknell, Young and others), and Suffolk County (Latham collection). Many important ecogeographic regions are badly under-represented, and all areas except for the capital region are completely lacking in data-rich “modem specimens” that include frozen tissues. A, r ef by « eeuRtry TO ■' Afiscm @4 Casitorrtass.' "....... 2 ,'’ ’ . —^—~ MaWKSwasa 153 — '.VasKngtofl ISi' St C.JfVS'iSa 6? of by NY wscnty Figure 2. Geographic coverage of the New York State Museum bird collection, showing A) the number of specimens from states and countries represented by at least 60 specimens, and B) numbers of specimens from each county in New York. The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) 217 21®* Century Practices and Goals Collected over the course of nearly two centuries of research and exhibition, the NYSM collection records the rich diversity, complex biogeography, and change over time in New York’s populations of birds. It is our policy to foster use of the collections consistent with their preservation for the use of future generations. Scientists and educators wishing to use the collection need only contact the Curator and arrange a visit. Loans of specimens for research or education are made only to accredited research or educational institutions, not to individuals. Research loan requests are evaluated on the merits of the purposed research, with requests for destructive sampling, including consumptive sampling of frozen tissues, considered in light of the potential to compromise future analyses. Guidelines for loan requests can be found at: www.nysm.nysed.gov/research_collections/collections/biology/omithology/loan.html. My mandate as Curator of Birds is to continue to document New York’s avian diversity through continued collection and preparation of specimens, and to insure that the collection is maintained for continued use by researchers and educators. I hold state and federal permits for the continued collection and salvage of birds, and will accept salvaged birds donated by citizens as long as they are in good overall condition, have been kept frozen, and have accurate date and locality data. The modem specimens we prepare are data-rich, documenting patterns of feather replacement and wear, fat deposition, stomach contents, skull ossification, size of the bursa of fabricius, size and condition of gonads, colors of parts that may fade (iris, tarsi and toes, bill), mass, cause of death (if known), and presence of parasites. We endeavor to make the most of each bird by preparing a skin, spread-wing, partial skeleton, stomach contents (in alcohol), and a tissue sample (frozen at -SO^C) from a single bird. My primary goals for the bird collection are to make it a comprehensive sample of the bird life of New York State, and to make it more useful to the research community. To achieve these goals I have identified the following priorities for the collection in coming years: (1) Fill in geographic gaps within New York. Nearly every species has gaps throughout the state, and some regions are gaps for all species (Figure 2b). (2) Obtain vouchered tissue samples from every NY species. This would be an invaluable genetics resource for ornithologists interested in conservation, ecology and evolution of New York birds. (3) Catalog the egg and nest collection. This large and historically important collection is not yet searchable electronically. (4) Make the collection available on the internet by fully integrating with existing distributed databases such as ORNIS. These tasks will take many years to complete. I welcome New York’s birders and other Kingbird readers to volunteer to prepare specimens or work in the collection, donate salvaged birds, or donate other resources in support of these important endeavors. 218 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank Joe Bopp, Paul Gallery, and Ellen Stevens for their help editing the database of NYSM birds. Thanks to Roland Kays for assistance with the map in Figure 2, and to Bob Daniels, Roland Kays, and an anonymous reviewer for comments on the manuscript. A special debt of gratitude is owed to all those who have contributed specimens to the NYSM bird collection, and to the NYSM Curators who have assembled and maintained this public treasure. LITERATURE CITED Lee, P. L. M., and R. P. Prys-Jones. 2008. Extracting DNA from museum bird eggs, and whole genome amplification of archive DNA. Molecular Ecology Resources 8:551-560. Mundy, N. I., P. Unitt, and D. S. Woodruff. 1997. Skin from feet of museum specimens as a nondestructive source of DNA for avian genotyping. Auk 114:126-129. Peterson, A. T., R. G. Moyle, A. S. Nyari, M. B. Robbins, R. T. Brumfield, and J. V. Remsen. 2007. The need for proper vouchering in phylogenetic studies of birds. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 45:1042-1044. Ratcliffe D. A. 1967. Decrease in eggshell weight in certain birds of prey. Nature 215: 208-210. Reitz, E.J., and E.S. Wing. 1999. Zooarchaeology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Remsen, J.V. 1995. The importance of continued collecting of bird specimens to ornithology and conservation. Bird Conservation International 5:145-180. Reudink, M. W., S. G. Mech, S. P. Mullen, and R. L. Curry. 2007. Structure and dynamics of the hybrid zone between Black-capped Chickadee {Poecile atricapillus) and Carolina Chickadee (P, carolinensis) in southeastern Pennsylvania. Auk 124:463-478. Rocque, D.A., and K. Winker. 2005. The use of bird collections in contaminant and stable isotope studies. Auk 122:990-994. Suarez, A. V., and N. D. Tsutsui. 2004. The value of museum collections for research and society. BioScience 54:66-74. Winker, K. 2004. Natural history museums in a post-biodiversity era. Bioscience 54:455-459. The Kingbird 200d> September; 58 (3) 219 JANUARY WATERFOWL COUNT, 2008, AND SOME OBSERVATIONS ON LONG-TERM TRENDS Bryan L. Swift New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 625 Broadway Albany, NY 12233-4750 The New York State Ornithological Association (NYSOA)’s 2008 January Waterfowl Count was held during January 12-20, 2008. Survey procedures were described by Swift (2007), and survey coverage was generally good except for some key areas on Long Island (e.g., Amagansett to Montauk). Additional volunteers are needed to help cover important waterfowl wintering areas in the future; please contact the author or a regional compiler if interested. WEATHER CONDITIONS National Weather Service data from Buffalo, Watertown, Albany, LaGuardia and Islip were reviewed along with anecdotal reports from regional compilers to characterize weather conditions as they may have affected waterfowl abundance, distribution or observation. Winter began early throughout New York State, with below normal temperatures in all areas during the first three weeks of December 2007, and 18- 24" of snow recorded in Albany and Buffalo. Conditions eased off later in the month as temperatures were above normal and precipitation lessened. January 2008 began with a few days of below normal temperatures (lows near or below zero upstate, in the teens on Long Island), but this was followed by two solid weeks (January 5-18) with temperatures up to 33° above normal and less than 6" of snow at all locations. Average daily temperatures were above freezing throughout the week prior to the waterfowl count, and high temperatures in the 60s were recorded during January 7-9 at most locations. A cold front on January 18-19 brought strong winds, colder temperatures and some snow (up to 3" upstate) during the last days of the count period. However, January snowfall totals were less than 1" on Long Island. The early onset of winter probably forced many geese and dabbling ducks out of local haunts to larger water bodies or south out of New York. At the same time, ducks forced out of Canada or western breeding areas found plenty of open water in New York. The mild weather prior to and during the count period made for pleasant viewing conditions, but the lack of ice provided countless ponds and streams for remaining waterfowl to disperse to, and in some areas (e.g., the 220 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) Hudson and Mohawk Rivers) high stream flows made access and waterfowl observation difficult. RESULTS The January 2008 count yielded a total of 392,624 birds, far below the record high count of 584,389 in 2007, but still well above the long-term (1973-2007) average of 292,379 (Table 2). Most species were at or above their long-term averages, including Canvasback, Long-tailed Duck, Black Scoter, and Trumpeter Swan, all of which had record high counts (Table 2). Snow Goose and Canada Goose numbers dropped sharply from their record highs in 2007, perhaps due to snow covering cut cornfields in western New York during December. In contrast, counts of dabbling ducks such as Mallard and Black Duck were higher than a year ago, as these species were forced south or frozen out of smaller water bodies into larger areas that are routinely covered by this survey. Two exceptions were Common Eider and Harlequin Duck; these species had unusually low counts, probably due in part to incomplete coverage of some key areas on the south shore of Long Island. In general, this year’s counts seemed to reflect a return to more “normal” winter conditions for New York State. The early winter weather may have affected abundance and distribution of many species for the remainder of the season, even though we experienced a third consecutive January with very mild weather. SOME LONG-TERM TRENDS Winter waterfowl counts are of limited value for year-to-year population monitoring because they are influenced so much by weather conditions and because they are affected by annual variation in coverage. However, inspection of long-term data can reveal some interesting trends. For this year’s report, I selected four species for such analysis. I invite others to do the same, using data available from the NYSOA website. Tundra Swan - Tundra Swan was an uncommon species on the January Waterfowl Count until the mid 1990s. Before 1992, no more than 100 birds had been reported statewide. A high count of 199 Tundra Swans occurred in 1995, but that record has been topped several times, with the current high count of 1,773 observed in 2007 (Fig. 1). NYSOA Regions 1, 3 and 6 have accounted for most of the growing total count in recent years. The eastern population of Tundra Swans increased only slightly over the past 30 years (USFWS 2008), so we may be seeing a northward shift in winter range for this species, just one consequence of climate change and milder winters in eastern North America. The Kingbird 200% September; 58 (3) 221 Canvasback - The record high count of 25,718 canvasbacks in January 2008 followed a record high continental breeding population estimate for the species in spring 2007 (USFWS 2008). However, Canvasback counts have declined steadily on Long Island (NYSOA Region 10), to record lows of less than 500 birds in 2007 and 2008 (Fig. 2). This may reflect losses of submerged aquatic vegetation, a critical food source for Canvasbacks, in Long Island coastal waters. Overall, Canvasback numbers tend to fluctuate a great deal on both surveys, but both suggest a relatively stable population over the long-term (Fig. 3). Scaup - Total numbers of Greater, Lesser and unidentified scaup counted in New York fluctuate considerably from year to year, but average counts for each decade suggest a gradual decline over time: 1970s (69,772); 1980s (46,733); 1990s (41,741); and 2000s (34,463). This trend in winter scaup counts has generally followed the pattern for continental scaup breeding population estimates (Fig. 4). However, as total numbers declined, there has also been a shift in distribution from Long Island to the Great Lakes regions of upstate New York (Fig. 5). This shift was likely a response to recent invasion of the Great Lakes by zebra mussels {Dreissena polymorpha); this species is now a major component of scaup diets in that region (Custer and Custer 1996, Petrie and Schummer 2002). Hooded Merganser - Prior to 1985, statewide January counts of Hooded Merganser never exceeded 400 birds, but counts since 2000 have exceeded 1,400 birds in every year but one (Fig. 6). Winter counts of Hooded Merganser reflect the growing breeding population of this species in New York, as documented by the Breeding Bird Atlas (McGowan and Corwin 2008). Although Long Island still accounts for most of the Hooded Mergansers counted during winter, significant numbers now occur in many upstate regions, where breeding has become more widespread. FUTURE COUNTS The January Waterfowl Count (JWC) is a valuable long-term population monitoring program for waterfowl and other waterbirds wintering in New York State. I invite all bird clubs and birders in New York to join in this important and enjoyable activity. For those who like to plan ahead, the count period begins on the Saturday prior to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, which is the 3*^^ Monday in January. The dates for the next two years are as follows: 2009 - January 17-25 (target date - Sunday, January 18), and 2010 - January 16-24 (target date - Sunday, January 17). 222 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) For more information about the JWC, please visit the NYSOA web site at: http://www.nybirds.org/ProjWaterfowl.htm http://www.birds.comell.edu/fnysbc/wfc_compilers.htm ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank everyone who participated in the 2008 count, and for enduring harsh winter weather that is typical of this time of year. A special thanks to the following Regional Compilers who coordinated the efforts of all those volunteers this year: Region Compiler Region Compiler 1 Jim Landau 6 Jerry LeTendre 2 Greg Hartenstein 7 John M. C. Peterson 3 Mike Morgan 8 Bryan Swift 4 Gail Kirch 9 Tracey Shimer 5 Marge Rusk 10 Ronald & Jean Bourque LITERATURE CITED Custer, C. M. and T. W. Custer. 1996. Food habits of diving ducks in the Great Lakes after the zebra mussel invasion. Journal of Field Ornithology 67:86- 99. McGowan, K. J. and K. Corwin. 2008, The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, N.Y. Petrie, S. A. and M. L. Schummer. 2002. Waterfowl response to zebra mussels on the lower Great Lakes. Birding 34: 346-351. Swift, B. L. 2007. January waterfowl counts, 2005-2007, and some observations on long-term trends. Kingbird 57:198-213. USFWS (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). 2008. Waterfowl population status, 2008. U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. The Kingbird 200'^ September; 58 (3) 223 224 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) Table 1. Regional totals for the 2008 January Waterfowl Count. SPECIES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total Goose, White-fronted 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 Snow/Ross' 0 0 10711 35 1610 0 0 0 4551 26 16,933 Canada/Cackling 4,930 6553 62776 2945 6735 2868 24 2445 18290 29695 137,261 Brant 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 14514 14,515 Swan, Mute 20 277 7 2 5 6 0 54 283 965 1,619 Trumpeter 0 2 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 Tundra 32 0 871 0 86 347 0 0 0 2 1,338 Wood Duck 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 16 21 39 Gadwall 50 1 254 0 0 27 0 0 123 1235 1,690 Wigeon, Eurasian 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 7 American 15 0 69 0 2 1 0 0 56 1003 1,146 Am. Black Duck 126 191 6404 211 147 126 41 129 396 7566 15,337 Mallard 4443 2131 23610 1,180 2,350 1006 775 1040 3726 8567 48,828 Mallard X Black 0 14 5 0 0 1 0 0 5 50 75 Blue-winged Teal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Northern Shoveler 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 344 347 Northern Pintail 27 0 137 0 11 0 1 0 5 87 268 Green-winged Teal 1 7 2 0 1 0 0 0 4 161 176 Canvasback 12655 0 11656 1 2 0 0 303 603 498 25,718 Redhead 47 214 7350 19 194 8502 0 0 20 23 16,369 Ring-necked Duck 1 5 232 3 19 3 1 11 220 439 934 Tufted Duck 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Scaup, Greater 6060 828 550 0 940 4476 11 0 173 8286 21,324 Lesser 295 153 173 4 200 0 0 0 285 1647 2,757 not to species 24 100 2 0 300 495 1 125 215 1090 2,352 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) Eider, King 0 1 0 Common 0 0 0 Harlequin Duck 1 0 0 Scoter, Surf 10 3 0 White-winged 178 1217 0 Black 0 5 0 not to species 0 0 0 Long-tailed Duck 366 584 0 Bufflehead 3368 225 204 Goldeneye, Common 3750 2984 1184 Barrow's 0 1 0 Merganser, Hooded 134 15 90 Common 1699 105 204 Red-breasted 574 3189 25 Ruddy Duck 3 0 28 Loon, Red-throated 3 43 0 Common 7 12 10 Grebe, Pied-billed 7 3 18 Homed 25 316 13 Red-necked 4 3 0 Eared 0 0 0 Cormorant, D.-crested 94 10 4 Great 0 0 0 American Coot 118 305 1223 UNIDENTIFIED 26 28 3 TOTAL OF ABOVE 39,093 19,525 127,841 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 698 14 0 0 3 0 0 0 100 0 0 0 658 547 3 5 229 394 88 50 1,107 2432 4163 0 0 1 0 51 41 4 34 566 2,121 2081 723 1 325 95 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 7 0 4 1 0 1 11 0 67 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 18 1 0 0 0 0 0 53 19 0 0 0 0 172 0 129 17,947 23,600 5,942 0 0 1 5 0 0 19 19 0 0 0 1 0 0 761 774 0 0 493 2,600 0 3 12578 12,589 0 25 1337 1,462 0 28 11382 13,568 0 180 3209 7,902 225 183 1026 17,104 0 0 2 4 27 345 1569 2,310 994 1,988 75 10,556 0 25 2675 6,910 0 123 3341 3,496 0 1 395 442 0 7 137 188 0 2 57 92 0 1 185 619 0 2 2 12 0 0 0 0 0 1 70 198 0 7 64 71 0 190 489 2,397 11 1 3 244 5,364 32,087 116,096 392,624 226 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) Table 2. Comparison of 2008 January waterfowl counts in New York State to previous years. SPECIES 2008 2007 Long-term ( 1973-2007) Count % diff Average % diff Minimum Maximum Goose, White-fronted 2 26 -92% 1 100% 0 26 Snow/Ross’ 16,933 107,683 -84% 3,426 394% 1 107,683 Canada/Cackling 137,261 236,741 -42% 87,024 58% 5 236,741 Brant 14,515 17,235 -16% 15,169 -4% 6 31,592 Swan, Mute 1,619 1,979 -18% 1,325 22% 7 2,296 Trumpeter 26 14 86% 2 1200% 0 14 Tundra 1,338 1,160 15% 198 576% 0 1,773 Wood Duek 39 28 39% 38 3% 9 108 Gadwall 1,690 1,707 -1% 1,035 63% 11 2,900 Wigeon, Eurasian 7 5 40% 3 133% 0 10 American 1,146 1,642 -30% 1,600 -28% 13 3,207 Am. Black Duck 15,337 8,912 72% 18,326 -16% 14 27,734 Mallard 48,828 31,395 56% 33,896 44% 15 60,527 Mallard X Black 75 41 83% 62 21% 0 379 Blue-winged Teal 0 0 ?? 3 -100% 0 32 Northern Shoveler 347 756 -54% 285 22% 18 797 Northern Pintail 268 73 267% 200 34% 19 421 Green-winged Teal 176 501 -65% 276 -36% 20 614 Canvasback 25,718 14,103 82% 11,136 131% 21 24,584 Redhead 16,369 5,566 194% 8,527 92% 22 20,615 Ring-necked Duck 934 1,438 -35% 574 63% 23 2,234 Tufted Duck 0 0 n/a 1 -100% 0 5 Scaup, Greater 21,324 43,819 -51% 27,732 -23% 0 57,995 Lesser 2,757 7,778 -65% 1,307 111% 0 7,778 not to species 2,352 3,105 -24% 18,300 -87% 27 108,669 Eider, King 5 2 150% 6 -17% 0 29 Common 19 2,680 -99% 1,117 -98% 0 18,095 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) Harlequin Duck Scoter, Surf White-winged Black not to species Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Goldeneye, Common Barrow's Merganser, Hooded Common Red-breasted Ruddy Duck Loon, Red-throated Common Grebe, Pied-billed Homed Red-necked Eared Cormorant, D.-crested Great American Coot UNIDENTIFIED TOTAL OF ABOVE 1 0 774 6,968 2,600 3,938 12,589 4,592 1,462 12,463 13,568 12,040 7,902 8,419 17,104 14,899 4 2 2,310 2,448 10,556 8,763 6,910 6,768 3,496 5,872 442 927 188 358 92 92 619 236 12 10 0 1 198 401 71 50 2,397 4,220 244 2,533 392,624 584,389 ?? -89% -34% 174% - 88 % 13% - 6 % 15% 100 % - 6 % 20 % 2% -40% -52% -47% 0% 162% 20 % - 100 % -51% 42% -43% -90% -33% 6 -83% 3,173 -76% 7,408 -65% 1,020 1134% 2,357 -38% 4,655 191%) 6,422 23% 12,702 35% 2 100% 789 193% 10,981 -4% 4,605 50% 2,320 51% 81 446% 196 -4% 81 14% 361 71% 4 200% 0 ?? 149 33% 170 -58% 2,056 17% 1,269 -81% 292,379 34% 0 15 31 13,749 32 22,525 10 4,940 0 16,940 35 13,071 36 10,025 37 20,932 0 8 39 2,448 40 29,809 41 8,058 36 8,834 0 927 32 628 21 210 49 756 0 14 0 3 0 401 0 575 55 4,406 0 5,675 129,907 584,389 2000 Figure 1. Total number of Tundra Swans counted in New York State during January, 1973- 2008. Figure 2. Total number of Canvasbacks counted in New York State during January, 1973-2008. Figure 3. Total number of Canvasbacks counted in New York State during January, 1973-2008, versus the prior year continental breeding population estimate (source: USFWS 2008). 228 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) 120000 10000 / / / / / / / Figure 4. Total counts of scaup (Greater, Lesser and unidentified to species, combined) in New York State during January, 1973-2008, versus the prior year continental breeding population estimate (source: USFWS 2008). Figure 5. Total counts of scaup (Greater, Lesser and unidentified to species, combined) in New York State during January, 1973-2008. Figure 6. Total counts of Hooded Merganser during January in New York State, 1973-2008. The Kingbird 200^ September; 58 (3) 229 SPRING ARRIVAL OF TREE SWALLOW AND EASTERN PHOEBE IN THE ADIRONDACKS Mark G retch 300 Lanoca Avenue Apt. 24 Laurinburg, NC 28352 mgre56@yahoo.com In the Winter 1987 issue of The Kingbird, editor Robert Spahn announced “a more systematie approach to reporting spring and fall arrival and departure dates.” Every year since, tables of arrival and departure dates have been compiled and published in The Kingbird. He goes on to say, “No one will know if arrival and departure dates are useful until substantial sets of consistently gathered data are compiled.” And... “ there are many questions that can be posed from these data: Is New York State large enough that the direction of migratory movement can be inferred from arrival and departure dates... and are there regular patterns of arrival and departure within a region, and if so with what factors might they be correlated?” For 12 years (from 1993 to 2004) I kept a meticulous record of dates for many spring biological phenomena including the flowering of coltsfoot, the first appearance of wood frogs in my pond, surfacing of ants from their winter hermitage, appearance of the first butterfly, the last snow, and the spring arrival of the Tree Swallow (Jachycineta bicolor) and Eastern Pheobe (Sayornis phoebe). My initial (and naive) intention was to define the arrival of spring in biological terms, at my location in the Adirondack Mountains. But this coming of spring is an extraordinarily complex phenomenon and can’t be accurately defined by any one or even an array of biological events. So I decided to focus on the arrival dates of the two species of birds, using my data sets as well as the corresponding arrival dates for the same years for each of the ten Regions in NY State. I wanted to see whether these data sets could be fit together seamlessly using Hopkins’ Bioclimatic Law (Scott). This principle states that spring advances northward at about one degree latitude (69 miles) in four days, and it advances up mountains at about 100 feet per day (Kudish 1975). First I compared my sets of data for the two species to see whether there was rank order correlation between them (Table 1). I used sets of ten data points for the comparison (1993-2002). Data for 2004 were incomplete and I treated one data point as an outlier (apparent arrival of Tree Swallow on 16 May, 2003). With n =10 and a = 0.05, the critieal value of rg is 0.648. Since the test statistic = 0.890 exceeds the critieal value, it appears that there is a positive correlation 230 The Kingbird 200S September; 58 (3) between the arrival dates of the Tree Swallow and Eastern Phoebe at my study site (Triola 1992). The site is at an elevation of 990’ above sea level in the Town of Elizabethtown, Essex County. This correlation suggests that the arrivals of these two insectivorous species are responding to some of the same factors, which could include weather patterns, temperature, length of day, availability of food, and others. I chose Regions 7 and 9 to make arrival date comparisons since they represented the extreme ends (north and south) of New York’s mainland. Using data from the spring arrival tables published in The Kingbird 1992 and 2005,1 determined that the mean arrival date in Region 9 for the Eastern Pheobe was 16 March, and for the Tree Swallow 20 March . For Region 7 by comparison, the mean arrival dates were 29 March for the Eastern Phoebe, and 1 April for the Tree Swallow (Table 2). Using maps I determined that the distance between the southern end of Region 9, and the southern end of Region 7 is about 234 miles. I made the assumption that birds first appear in the southern end of each Region as they migrate northward in spring. Using the equivalent of one degree latitude equals 69 miles and using Hopkins’ Bioclimatic Law, I then determined that there should theoretically be about 13.6 days difference in the appearance of birds between the two Regions. How does the theory compare with the actual? For each species, the observed difference in arrival dates was very close to the predicted difference, deviating by less than one day in each case (Table 2). So the rule of thumb that springs advances one degree of latitude every four days is a good one for these two species. Next, in order to include my data in the comparisons, I would need to see how well the other part of Hopkins’ Bioclimatic Law worked—^where spring advances to higher elevations at a rate of 100 feet per day. Applying this law, I calculated that Eastern Phoebe should arrive on 8 April, which corresponds well with the observed mean (8 April) and median (7 April). In the case of Tree Swallow, however, observed arrival at higher elevations (mean =18 April; median = 16 April) is almost a week later than predicted (11 April). In conclusion, to answer Robert Spahn’s questions cited above, yes, New York State is large enough that the direction of migratory movement can be inferred from observed arrival dates for some species. And further, for some species (e.g., Eastern Phoebe) the rates of migratory movement, both in latitude and elevation, appear to be well predicted by Hopkins’ Bioclimatic Law. The question of which specific factor(s) are actually influencing the rates of these migratory movements is another matter altogether. The Kingbird 20^% September; 58 (3) 231 Table 1. Spring arrival dates 1993-2004 of Tree Swallow and Eastern Phoebe at Hurricane Mountain Road, Elizabethtown, Essex County. Year Tree Swallow E. Phoebe 1993 19 Apr 16 Apr 1994 23 Apr 05 Apr 1995 18 Apr 08 Apr 1996 03 May 19 Apr 1997 16 Apr 03 Apr 1998 16 Apr 11 Apr 1999 15 Apr 31 Mar 2000 15 Apr 02 Apr 2001 15 Apr 19 Apr 2001 15 Apr 19 Apr 2002 13 Apr 31 Mar 2003 16 May 04 Apr 2004 16 Apr Mean 18 Apr 08 Apr Median 16 Apr 07 Apr Table 2. Mean spring arrival dates of Tree Swallow and Eastern Phoebe for Kingbird Regions 7 (Adirondack-Champlain) and 9 (Hudson-Delaware). Tree Swallow Eastern Phoebe Region 7 (Adirondack-Champlain) 01 Apr 29 Mar Region 9 (Hudson-Delaware) 20 Mar 16 Mar Expected Difference (days) 13.6 13.6 Observed Difference (days) 12 13 LITERATURE CITED Kudish, Michael. 1975. Paul Smith’s Flora. Paul Smith’s College. Saranac Lake, New York, p. 3. Scott, Gregory K. Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine-Phenology http://www.wnrmagazine.com/misc/pheno.htm Spahn, Robert. 1987. Editorial: Regional Boundaries and Migration Dates. Kingbird31{\)\9-2A. Triola, Mario F. 1992. Elementary Statistics 5*^ ed. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, pp. 624-626. 232 The Kingbird 200?> September; 58 (3) NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS AT LEAST 12 COMMON EIDER NESTS ON SOUTH DUMPLING ISLAND, SUFFOLK COUNTY On 15 May 2008, I visited South Dumpling Island, Town of Southold, Suffolk Co., with Project Oceanology. During this annual assessment of breeding waterbirds, we saw approximately 50 Common Eider and found 12 nests with between two and five eggs each (Fig. D, p. 262). No hatched young were present yet. There were certainly additional nests present, as we did not actively search all areas of Phragmites and other flora resembling those where the observed nests were hidden. I believe that this is the highest number that we have found. We follow the same procedure each year so I think we are seeing a genuine increase in eider nests despite a decrease in island vegetation each year. Double-crested Cormorant nest numbers are increasing, while Great Egret, Snowy Egret, and Black-crowned Night-Heron nests seem to be in decline. Great Egrets are nesting on the ground more than in the past. No Glossy Ibis were present. There were two pairs of nesting American Oystercatchers on nearby Flat Hammock Island. Glenn Williams, 221 Pequot Ave, Mystic CT 06355. A MISSISSIPPI KITE AT BASHAKILL, SULLIVAN COUNTY On 25 May 2008, at 10:25AM, I discovered an adult Mississippi Kite at the Bashakill WMA, Sullivan County, while birding with Bob May and Bobby Rosetti. The bird was soaring in the distance, to the northeast from a small field north of the main parking lot. Although distant, the distinctive shape and gray color were visible to all three of us. I called Arie Gilbert and John Haas to let them know, but only got voicemail. Remarkably, about an hour later Bob May spotted it from the bridge on Haven Road soaring against the hills to the northeast. We lost it for a minute, relocated it, and managed to get our scopes on it. After a couple of minutes it became tough to scope because it soared almost directly over our heads heading southwest. John Haas’ crew and Arie’s group arrived just in time to see it soar across the road at close range, and they snapped off a couple of photos (Fig. D, p. 262). This time the white secondary patch on the upperwing along with the short outermost primary could be clearly seen, and the reduced white on the head indicated an adult female. We later learned that another Mississippi Kite was seen earlier that day in Manhattan and another at Derby Hill at the same time—a great day for those lucky few who were at the right place at the right time. David Klauber, 7 Julian St., Hicksville, NY 11801, davehawkowl@msn.com The Kingbird 200% September; 58 (3) 233 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SEASON—SPRING 2008 Robert G. Spahn 716 High Tower Way, Webster, NY 14580 rspahn@prodigy.net Spring is typically one of the easier seasons to summarize. Winter is ending, so we have the departure of the winter visitors. Then everyone is excited about warming temperatures and the arrival of spring migrants and lots of records are submitted. The regional highlights summarize the observations of birds that are eagerly awaited and tracked annually across the State. Often there are surprises, as rarities appear and special behaviors are noted. This spring also presented an opportunity to look at some issues around data, historical and new, relating to record dates and high counts, as there were many of each this spring. This spring saw a relatively uniform weather picture across most of the State, with only Regions 9 and 10 less variable and extreme than the others. Early March brought a warm shot to some Regions, but also the last of the winter’s snowfall for most of the State, and then cold temperatures for much of the month. In most Regions ponds and lakes remained frozen until early April, then ice out came quickly and a bit early. March also saw an ice storm in Region 7, with power outages in the Adirondacks and some distress for birds in the area. April began cool but then switched to a touch of summer for a few days to two weeks, with the month’s average temperatures 5-7° above normal in all but Regions 9 and 10. This brought many early passerine arrivals across the State. May then shifted back to cool, 2-3° below normal all across the state. This resulted in late arrival dates for some of the normally later-arriving species. Precipitation was above normal in all regions in March and moderately below in nearly all for April and May. WINTER ENDING An attempt to look at reports as a part of winter ending forces recognition of the fact that the spring season really does have some of the same fuzzy edges as the other seasons. Many waterfowl are mainly winter visitors over much of the State but may also be, additionally or even only, spring and fall migrants in some Regions and local breeders in others. Recent trends of waterfowl departing from wintering areas earlier and migrants arriving earlier and lingering for shorter times continued to be noted this spring. In a few Regions the cold into March delayed arrivals a bit, but still most species pushed through by the end of April, with lingering birds in May few. Canada and Snow geese moved heavily in late 234 The Kingbird 2^0% September; 58 (3) March and early April. Peak Snow Goose counts were back in the eastern half of the state, the historical norm. Lingering winter waterfowl rarities included: Pink¬ footed Goose, Barnacle Goose, and “Black” Brant in Region 10; Greater White- fronted Goose in six Regions; at least 10 Ross’s Geese in four Regions; Cackling Goose noted in eight Regions; more than 15 Eurasian Wigeons in five Regions; Green-winged “Eurasian” Teal in Regions 3, 5, & 10; Barrow’s Goldeneye in Regions 2 & 8; and special hybrids—dark morph Snow x Ross’s Goose in Region 3 and Northern Pintail x Gadwall in Region 4. There has been some concern over numbers of several waterfowl species, and, despite deficiencies in the data. Am. Black Duck and Blue-winged Teal numbers seem low and Northern Pintail produced only one sizable count noted in Region 6. Scaup and scoter numbers were low except for good counts in Region 10. Both regular loons saw some good counts on Lake Ontario and in Region 10, but Common Loon was flagged as very low in Region 4. An alternate plumaged Pacific Loon was observed in Region 2 on 23 May. There was a record high inland count for Homed Grebe and another 1000+ count for Red¬ necked Grebe, both on 27 March in Region 2, a bit early for peak counts. The rarer Eared and Western grebes were noted only as singles in Region 10. Continuing with another messy, overlapping group, gulls did not elicit many special notes from the Regional editors, so we have the wintering birds and rarities as highlights. Iceland and Glaucous gulls were noted in four Regions each, lingering into April and early May. Thayer’s Gull was noted in Region 2 and a Slaty-backed Gull in Region 3. Laughing Gull was noted as a rarity in Regions 1 & 5 and Franklin’s Gull in Region 2. Little Gull was found only to the west in Regions 1, 2, & 3, and Blaek-headed only in Region 10. Bonaparte’s Gull numbers were noted low where comments were made. Lesser Black- backed Gull, now regular in almost every month, was found in five Regions totaling at least 10 individuals. Great Blaek-backed Gull is of some concern due to losses to botulism, but at least one high count was tallied in Region 1. Looking at the typical winter visitors, we find Rough-legged Hawk noted in all but one Region, with departure dates very late March into April except later for Regions with spring hawk watches. There was a lone Gyrfalcon in Region 1 and a Great Gray Owl in Region 6 for a few days. Northern Shrike left at typical late March and April dates. Bohemian Waxwing lingered in six Regions to dates ranging from 18 March to 15 April. Am. Tree Sparrow departed over a narrower window of 13 to 24 April. Lapland Longspur mainly exited in March and Snow Bunting from 17 March to 15 April. After a good fall and winter for winter finches, we saw: Pine Grosbeak gone by 7 April; Red Crossbills mostly gone by the end of April, except for nesting in Region 4 and possibly Region 10; White¬ winged Crossbill in Regions 1, 4, & 5, with nesting in Region 4; Common Redpoll noted in all but Region 6 and departing late March to early May; a few notes on “Greater” Redpoll separated from other Common Redpolls in Regions 4 & 7; a few more Hoary Redpoll reports in five Regions; and Pine Siskin and Evening Grosbeak in most Regions, with reports in several into May, typical for The Kingbird 200^ September; 58 (3) 235 both species. Matt Young in the Region 4 report discusses types of Red Crossbill observed this spring and in 2006. For the final winter-ending note, an ice storm in Region 7 produced a heavy crust on deep snow, negatively impacting many species, but especially resulting in a number of Barred Owls being brought in for rehab and later release. SPRING MIGRATION First a look at the major groups, often awaited with great anticipation by many birders—^hawks, shorebirds, terns, and the various families of passerines. The bulk of the data for hawks comes from the two major spring hawk watches, Braddock Bay and Derby Hill. Summary data for these sites are remarkably similar, with arrivals and peaks often on the same or close by dates. The overall totals differ only by the differences in total for Turkey Vulture and Broad-winged Hawk; variations among the other species are typical of those seen regularly and wash out in the totals. Both watches show Turkey Vultures at record high numbers for the season. Each had a rare species not recorded at the other—Swainson’s Hawk at Braddock Bay and Mississippi Kite, a 2”^ Regional record, at Derby Hill. Comparing this spring’s numbers at Braddock Bay to the site’s long-term data, nearly all species were tallied at average to above numbers relative to the past 10 years, though most were well below their peaks in the late 70s and early 80s, especially the accipiters. Red-shouldered Hawk, and Am. Kestrel. Northern Goshawk was simply low. Looking at the rest of the hawk data: Black Vulture was observed in seven Regions, with over 26 individuals noted; Golden Eagle was commented on as “good” in eight Regions, with multiple reports in nearly all; and Merlin was noted in all but Region 9, with nesting in Regions 1, 2, 3,4, 5, and 7 and suspected in 6. Interestingly, Peregrine Falcon was no longer reported in several Regions where the species clearly nests; no longer noteworthy?! Caspian, Common, and Forster’s terns were flagged as down a bit, though they were observed in nearly all Regions except for only four Regions for Forster’s. Caspian Tern is also noteworthy for arrival at record early dates in four Regions and an average arrival date 11 days early relative to the 22-year average. Black Tern remains scarce. A Least Tern in Region 3 was only the 6'^ Regional record. The rest of the tern list is typically recorded only in Region 10, where variety and numbers were good this spring. An intriguing note from Region 5 asks if a late May surge of 186 Sterna terns at Oneida Lake might contain some overlooked Arctic Terns passing through. For shorebirds, over much of upstate a common complaint was lack of habitat and low numbers for most species and a few species missed. But in Region 7 the late May drop of Lake Champlain yielded good mudflats and some interesting records. Region 10 birders located nearly every species expected in spring plus a few rarities. So overall the State list for spring was covered well. 236 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) Rarer species inland for spring included: Am. Golden-Plover in Regions 1 & 2; Sanderling in Regions 1 & 7; Marbled Godwit in Regions 6 & 7; Purple Sandpiper in Regions 1, 2, 5, & 9; and Long-billed Dowitcher in Regions 1, 2 & 10. Wilson’s Phalarope was scarce. In Region 10, rarities included Wilson’s Plover and Black-necked Stilt. Very high to State record high counts were tallied for Killdeer in Region 2, Solitary Sandpiper in Region 5, Ruddy Turnstone in Region 10, and Semipalmated Sandpiper in several Regions in late May. Moving on to the passerines, many species arrived at record early dates in one or several Regions, especially species typically arriving in the last half of April. Species expected in mid-May or later were often noted arriving late. More will follow on arrival dates under a separate heading. Working through the passerine families, we start with flycatchers. There were several record early dates, including a tie of the State record early date for Willow Flycatcher on 30 April. Olive-sided Flycatcher was noted in seven Regions, though with few reports except in Regions 9 & 10. Least Flycatcher arrived early across the State, though nowhere record early. Eastern Kingbird was also an early arrival. In contrast, Alder Flycatcher was average to late in arriving. The lone rarity was Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on two dates in late May in Region 10. Vireos of note included White-eyed Vireo found in five Regions and State record early on 18 March in Region 10. Red-eyed Vireo was State record early inland on 16 April in Region 3. There were several very high counts of migrating swallows, especially in Region 2, with a State record high count for N. Rough-winged Swallow. State record highs were also tallied for Blue Jay in Region 5 and American Robin in Region 2 and very high counts for Homed Lark and American Pipit in Region 2. Sedge Wren was reported only in Regions 5 & 6 and Golden-crowned Kinglet was flagged as very low in Region 2. Thmshes were noted generally as low in number and a bit late, especially Gray-cheeked. Bicknell’s Thmsh was reported only from Regions 7 & 10. Warblers were well reported, with all regularly occurring species observed. Of the 22 species in the arrival date tables, 13 arrived at statistically significant early dates averaged across the 10 Regions vs. their 22-year averages. All but one species, Blackpoll Warbler, averaged early. There were 23 Regional record early arrival dates for just the warbler species in the table. A State record high count was tallied for Yellow Warbler in Region 2, Looking at trends, we find Golden-winged Warbler noted low, but still observed in seven Regions; “Lawrence’s” Warbler with 8 individuals in four Regions; at least 34 Orange- crowned Warblers from six Regions; Cape May Warbler noted in all but one Region; Yellow-throated Warbler in Regions 1, 2, & 10; Bay-breasted flagged as low; Prothonotary in five Regions, with 12 reports in Region 10 alone; Kentucky in only Regions 1 & 10; Connecticut only in Region 1; and Yellow¬ breasted Chat in only Regions 9 & 10. Continuing through the checklist, Scarlet Tanager was tallied at a State record high count in Region 2 on 14 May, while Summer Tanager appeared in The Kingbird 200% September; 58 (3) 237 Regions 1, 9, and 10 and a very rare Western Tanager was observed in Region 10. Among the sparrows, we find: Clay-colored in five Regions, Lark Sparrow in Region 10, Henslow’s only in Regions 6 & 7, Nelson’s Sharp-tailed in Regions 2 & 10, Fox Sparrow numbers average to low, and no really good counts noted for White-throated and White-crowned. A Painted Bunting was located in Region 10 and a State record high was tallied for Indigo Bunting in Region 2. Finally, among the icterids we have a rare Western Meadowlark in Region 2, notes on Rusty Blackbird as a species of concern from nearly all Regions, some good blackbird counts, a state record high count for Baltimore Oriole in Region 2, and the Scott’s Oriole relocated in Region 10 from the end of March into early April. Non-passerines of note included; the usual substantial collection of interesting seabirds observed in Region 10; Great Cormorant in Regions 5, 8, 9, and 10; a first Regional record of Anhinga soaring over Region 4; and an assortment of herons and egrets, most regular in Region 10 and found only there this season, except for Cattle Egret in Region 7 and Tricolored Heron in Region 1. Moving on we find both cuckoos well reported in most Regions, the usual few owl notes, and a surprising State record high spring count of 510 for Common Nighthawk on 28 May in Region 2—especially surprising given the dismal numbers for the species for many years at any season. A must read is the account of Double-crested Cormorant “control” episodes at the Crown Point Important Bird Area in the Region 7 introductory section. RARITIES Most of the rarities have been woven into the family reviews above. This would be the place to select a BOTS Award species for spring, but the contenders are either carry-over species from previous seasons, formerly rare species now regular, or single observer birds with no indication of documentation to NYSARC; none of which I would consider suitable for a season’s BOTS. This then results in the BOTS Award going to the multitude of early arriving migrants of this very early spring. EARLY ARRIVALS AND RECORD HIGH COUNTS The large number of early arrivals and record high counts of this season open the door to some discussion of the arrival date tables and of the need for, but problems with, data in general. The arrival date tables were begun by Paul DeBenedictis, Kingbird editor, in 1987 and have now been gathered for the same 93 species for 22 years. These allow us some assessment of migration timing. This year, for one of very few years over this period, the average arrival date for all species over all Regions was significantly early (at 2 standard deviations) vs. the 22-year average. Additionally for the first time, each of the 10 Regions, averaged over all species. 238 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) yielded a date early relative to the 22-year average for the Region. Then we find 84 of the 93 species early averaged over the 10 Regions and only nine species late vs. the species’ 22-year average. Of these, 46 of the early dates and only two of the late dates are statistically significant. Of the late species, Common Nighthawk is in trouble, so late detection of its small numbers is probably not surprising. Looking more carefully at the details for Eastern Bluebird suggests that its apparent lateness may be simply due to an artifact of reporting. In most of the early cases, the species was reported early across the state and often at record early dates in one or more Regions. One can question and debate the details of the methodology for arriving at some of this summary information due to issues such as a few species not even recorded in one or more Regions for the season or some Regional editors not able or willing to try to separate an arrival date from dates for overwintering birds of some species. These details might/would alter some of the averages or standard deviations. Way back, I tried carefully correcting all of the data for each year for several years for each of these potential impacts and found that averages over all the Regions and/or years ended up very little affected. In specific cases one needs to look at the data details for a single species, but generally it is not worthwhile when assessing the overall picture. All of the record high counts come from watches in Regions 2 and 5, the hawk watches and a lakewatch. In Region 2, the hawkwatcher, Dave Tetlow, attempted to count all of the species passing this year and on 14 May even moved to the old satellite watch at the base of the west spit of Braddock Bay to catch the hordes of passerines migrating. The results in all of these cases show the potential still there if more observers would take the time to actually carry out counts over substantial periods of time when they encounter big movements or large groundings. Of course, this depends on the time an individual has available for birding, the interest or inclination of the observer, and the skill set. Some hawkwatchers see the world only as raptors and raptor food and show little interest in the food unless it is being pursued by a raptor. Some birders are simply not interested in counting. It is also not possible to count numbers of many species at the same time without a very high skill level in both identification and counting. Finally, my attempt to put these various apparent State records into historical perspective led to the feeling that the time is fast approaching when we will need to embark on another update of the data in a new State bird book. In searching the most recent book for data for so many species, it unfortunately became painfully apparent that for many species the authors either did not follow instructions relative to providing summary data or did not research the data carefully. For these species, a new author or set of authors will be faced with the task of going clear back to 1975 in their research. Without immersion in the data for many years, the Regional editor or other researcher of records now is left not knowing which numbers are really correct and which not. The Kingbird 2QQB> September; 58 (3) 239 240 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (; Spring Arrival Dates 2008 Waterbirds Species Region 1 Region 2 Region 3 Region 4 Region 5 Region 6 Region 7 Region 8 Region 9 Region 10 Average 22-Yr, Ave American Bittern 13 Apr 4 Apr 12 Apr 4 Apr 9 Apr 17 Apr 3 May 26 Apr 14 Apr 15 Apr Green Heron 13 Apr 18 Apr 17 Apr 30 Apr 15 Apr 29 Apr 19 Apr 19 Apr 19 Apr 12 Apr 19 Apr 22 Apr Wood Duck 27 Feb 4 Mar 4 Mar 23 Mar 23 Mar 22 Mar 8 Mar 11 Mar 13 Mar Green-winged Teal 16 Mar 3 Mar 4 Mar 4 Mar 24 Mar 6 Apr 28 Mar 10 Mar 16 Mar 15 Mar 17 Mar Northern Pintail 17 Feb 3 Mar 4 Mar 4 Mar 11 Mar 15 Mar 18 Mar 2 Mar 15 Mar 6 Mar 7 Mar Blue-winged Teal 27 Mar 13 Mar 21 Mar 26 Mar 1 Apr 6 Apr 14 Apr 21 Mar 16 Mar 21 Mar 25 Mar 29 Mar Osprey 24 Mar 30 Mar 16 Mar 5 Apr 24 Mar 6 Apr 11 Apr 10 Apr 16 Mar 9 Mar 27 Mar 28 Mar Virginia Rail 13 Apr 19 Apr 12 Apr 14 Apr 13 Apr 19 Apr 25 Apr 18 Apr 27 Mar 14 Apr 18 Apr Sora 1 ^ -Xpr 20 Apr 19 Apr 5 May 19 Apr 23 Apr 4 May 23 Apr 29 Apr Common Moorhen 1 ■’> Apr 3 May 30 '\pr 5 May 22 Apr S May 3 May 2 May 29 Apr 20 Api Black-bellied Plover 19 Apr 4 May 26 Apr 26 May 26 May 10 May 31 May 6 May 11 May 13 May Semipalmated Plover 3 May 26 Apr 3 May 7 May 6 May 14 May 15 May 2 May 11 Apr 3 May 10 May Killdeer 1 Mar 24 Feb 3 Mar 6 Mar 2 Mar 6 Mar 16 Mar 6 Mar 15 Mar 5 Mar 5 Mar Greater Yellowlegs 3 Apr 30 Mar 24 Mar 6 Apr 8 Apr 21 Apr 12 Apr 16 Apr 7 Apr 7 Apr Lesser Yellowlegs 3 Apr 11 Apr 11 Apr 1 May 8 Apr 29 Mar 18 Apr 3 May 15 Apr 24 Apr 15 Apr 18 Apr Solitary Sandpiper 19 Apr 26 Apr 25 Apr 23 Apr 19 Apr 6 May 10 May 26 Apr 2 May ■•I Apr 26 Apr 26 Apr Spotted Sandpiper 13 Apr 15 Apr 13 Apr 23 Apr 25 Apr 5 May 26 Apr 19 Apr 16 Apr 12 Apr 19 Apr 24 Apr Sanderling 18 May 14 May 16 May 17 May Semipalmated Sandpiper 18 May 14 May 16 May 7 May 17 May 26 May 17 May 8 May 30 Apr 13 May 13 May Least Sandpiper 4 May 11 Apr 20 Apr 29 Apr 6 May 2 May 11 May 8 May 23 Apr 20 Apr 28 Apr 4 May Pectoral Sandpiper 13 Apr 31 Mar 9 Apr 12 Apr 14 May 17 Apr 15 Apr 21 Apr Wilson's Snipe 29 Mar 24 Mar 6 Mar 4 Apr 14 Mar 8 Apr 9 Apr 21 Mar 27 Mar 21 Mar 25 Mar 24 Mar American Woodcock 19 Mar 14 Mar 6 Mar 15 Mar 10 Mar 27 Mar 23 Mar 0 Mar 1 Mar 13 Mat 1 1 M:ir Caspian Tern 9 Apr 1 Apr 25 Mar 25 Apr 12 Apr 12 Apr 16 Apr 12 Apr 9 Apr 10 Apr 21 Apr Common Tern 6 Apr 15 Apr 12 Apr 21 May 20 Apr 20 Apr 10 May 17 May 6 May 24 Apr 27 Apr 27 Apr Black Tern 26 Apr 3 May 28 Apr 8 May 5 May 23 May 17 May 4 May 6 May 8 May Marsh Wren 27 Apr 26 Apr 16 Apr 5 May 25 May 10 May 3 May 16 Mar 27 Apr 30 Apr Dates in bold type are recorc early arrivals for the Regio The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) Spring Arrival Dates 2008 Landbirds --- Species Region 1 Region 2 Region 3 Region 4 Region 5 j Region 6 Region 7 Region 8 Region 9 Region 10 Average 22-Yr. Ave Black'billed Cuckoo 6 May 10 May 3 May 17 May 27 Aprj 16 May 27 May 17 May 4 May 7 May 10 May 12 May Common Nighthawk 25 May 11 May 20 Apr 28 May 24 May! 29 May 20 May 10 May 13 May 16 May 12 May Chimney Swift 23 Apr 20 Apr 19 Apr 20 Apri 7 May 2 May 1 May 5 May 14 Apr 25 Apr 25 Apt Ruby-thr Hummingbird 29 Apr 27 Apr 24 Apr 28 Apr 27 AprI 12 May 5 May 4 May 29 Apr 24 Apr 29 Apr 3 May Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 4 Apr 7 Apr 30 Mar 27 Mar! 9 Apr 9 Apr 20 Mar 28 Mar 1 Apr 3 Apt Olive-sided Flycatcher 13 May 26 May 24 May 25 May 25 May 5 May 10 May 14 May 17 May 18 May Eastern Wood-Pewee 8 May 6 May 8 May 22 May 13 Mayl 5 May 21 Apr 16 May 10 May 7 May 8 May 9 May Alder Flycatcher 24 May 20 May 17 May 23 May 17 May! 15 May 21 May 11 May 17 May 17 May 18 May 17 May Willow Flycatcher 16 May 13 May 16 May 17 May 30 Apr! 24 May 15 May 2 May 2 May 11 May 15 May Least Flycatcher 30 Apr 29 Apr 27 Apr 27 Apr 26 Apr! 30 Apr 6 May 27 Apr 26 Apr 24 Apr 28 Apr 1 May Eastern Phoebe 29 Mar 18 Mar 3 Mar 29 Mar 20 Marl 6 Apr 27 Mar 23 Mar 1 Mar 12 Mar 19 Mar 22 Mar Gr. Crested Flycatcher 26 Apr 26 Apr 26 Apr 13 May 27 Apr! 2 May 8 May 5 May 18 Apr 24 Apr 29 Apr 1 May Eastern Kingbird 29 Apr 26 Apr 27 Apr 16 Apr 1 May! 3 May 26 Apr 1 May 23 Apr 24 Apr 26 Apr 28 Apr Purple Martin 11 Apr 3 Apr 31 Mar 7 Apr! 19 Apr 10 May 17 May 16 Apr 21 Mar 14 Apr 17 Apr Tree Swallow 27 Mar 13 Mar 14 Mar 16 Mar 15 Mar! 4 Apr 4 Apr 25 Feb 6 Mar 7 Mar 16 Mar 21 Mar N. Rough-winged Swallow 6 Apr 3 Apr 10 Apr 22 Apr 12 Apr! 21 Apr 26 Apr 11 Apr 13 Apr 2 Apr 12 Apr 15 Apt Bank Swallow 20 Apr 18 Apr 18 Apr 24 Apr 28 Apr! 5 May 15 May 19 Apr 11 Apr 13 Apr 23 Apr 25 Apt Cliff Swallow 26 Apr 19 Apr 24 Apr 15 May 26 Apr! 2 May 14 May 2 May 27 Apr 21 Apr 29 Apr 27 Apt Barn Swallow 29 Mar 3 Apr 3 Apr 13 Apr 5 Apr! 10 Apr 20 Apr 11 Apr 11 Apr 13 Apr 8 Apr 11 Apt House Wren 17 Apr 20 Apr 17 Apr 20 Apr 19 Apri 23 Apr 25 Apr 20 Apr! 22 Apr 19 Apr 20 Apr 22 Apt Ruby-crowned Kinglet 7 Apr 4 Apr 29 Mar 8 Apr 10 Apr! 14 Apr 12 Apr 29 Mar 12 Mar 3 Apr 6 Apr Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 13 Apr 18 Apr 19 Apr 30 Apr 13 Apr! 2 May 10 Apr 12 Apr 2 Apr 16 Apr 21 Apt Eastern Bluebird 10 Marl 25 Mar 22 Mar 6 Mar 15 Mar 9 Mar Veery 2 May 26 Apr 27 Apr 30 Apr 2 May! 6 May 27 Apr 3 May 2 May 15 Apr 29 Apr 2 May Swainson's Thrush 6 May 5 May 11 May 4 May! 27 Apr 3 May 4 May 2 May 4 May 8 May Hermit Thrush 7 Apr 9 Apr 11 Apr 17 Marl 8 Apr 9 Apr 10 Apri 5 Apr 7 Apr Wood Thrush 26 Apr 26 Apr 26 Apr 27 Apr 29 Apr! 2 May 7 May 3 May 15 Apr 26 Apr 27 Apr 29 Apt Gray Catbird 15 Apr 26 Apr 1 May 26 Apr! 3 May 9 May 23 Apr 14 Mar 25 Apr 22 Apr 25 Apt Brown Thrasher 8 Apr 16 Apr 11 Apr 13 Apr ISApil 19 Apr 18 Apr 13 Apr 12 Apr 14 Apr 16 Apt Blue-headed Vireo 17 Apr 17 Apr 12 Apr 14 Apr 19 Apri 21 Apr 20 Apr 19 Apr 18 Apr 12 Apr 16 Apr 19 Apr Yellow-throated Vireo 8 May 3 May 26 Apr 3 May 26 Apri 3 May 25 May 5 May 26 Apr 25 Apr 3 May 4 May Warbling Vireo 26 Apr 26 Apr 16 Apr 27 Apr 26 Apii 3 May 8 May 27 Apr 26ApH 26 Apr 27 Apr 30 Apr Red-eyed Vireo 10 May 3 May 16 Apr 2 May 27 Apr! 10 May 16 May 23 Apr 2 May 26 Apr 1 May 4 May i Dates in bold type are record early arrivals for the Region. t 242 The Kingbird September; 58 (3) Spring Arrival Dates 2008 Landbirds (cont'd) I Species Region 1 Region 2 Region 3 Region 4 Region 5 Region 6 Region 7 Region 8 Region 9 Region 10 Average 22-Yr. Ave Tennessee Warbler 8 May 2 May 4 May 15 May 3 May 7 May 16 May 22 May 3 May 3 May 8 May 9 May Nashville Warbler 25 Apr 19 Apr 23 Apr 30 Apr 19 Apr 28 Apr 21 Apr 29 Apr 19 Apr 19 Apr 23 Apr 29 Apr Northern Parula 3 May 7 May 16 Apr 14 May 3 May 8 May 10 May 3 May 2 May 12 Apr 1 May 3 May Yellow Warbler 25 Apr 22 Apr 21 Apr 26 Apr! 26 Apr 27 Apr 6 May 22 Apr 19 Apr 17 Apr 24 Apr 27 Apr Chestnut-sided Warbler 1 May 2 May 26 Apr 24 Apr 27 Apr 3 May 10 May 27 Apr 30 Apr 27 Apr 29 Apr 3 May Magnolia Warbler 27 Apr 2 May 3 May 3 May 3 May 8 May 12 May 7 May 19 Apr 25 Apr 1 May 5 May Cape May Warbler 30 Apr 26 Apr 3 May 15 May 15 May 18 May 17 May 7 May 24 Apr 7 May 8 May Black-thr. Blue Warbler 29 Apr 26 Apr 2 May 30 Apr 26 Apr 3 May 5 May 3 May 26 Apr 26 Apr 29 Apr 1 May Black-thr Green Warbler 23 Apr 18 Apr 12 Apr 27 Apr 24 Apr 26 Apr 28 Apr 19 Apr 26 Apr 19 Apr 22 Apr 25 Apr Blackburnian Warbler 27 Apr 29 Apr 26 Apr 20 Apr 29 Apr 6 May 4 May 8 May 19 Apr 26 Apr 28 Apr 3 May Pine Warbler 11 Apr 15 Apr 1 Apr 3 Apr 6 Apr 13 Apr 19 Apr 13 Apr 12 Apr 6 Mar 6 Apr 11 Apr Palm Warbler 20 Apr 11 Apr 14 Apr 20 Apr 17 Apr 25 Apr 15 Apr 11 Apr 23 Mar 13 Apr 18 Apr Bay-breasted Warbler 3 May 2 May 8 May 14 May 14 May 18 May 21 May 1 7 May 3 May 10 May 10 May Blackpoll Warbler 13 May 17 May 8 May 20 May 15 May 20 May 25 May 10 May 15 May 27 Apr 14 May 12 May Blaek-and-White Warbler 25 Apr 26 Apr 20 Apr 30 Apr 27 Apr 27 Apr 25 Apr 19 Apr 20 Apr 12 Apr 23 Apr 25 Apr American Redstart 3 May 2 May 3 May 3 May 3 May 29 Apr 10 May 3 May 30 Apr 26 Apr 2 May 3 May Ovenbird 27 Apr 26 Apr 25 Apr 26 Apr 26 Apr 28 Apr 4 May 6 May 20 Apr 16 Apr 26 Apr 30 Apr Northern Waterthrush 26 Apr 19 Apr 18 Apr 3 May 22 Apr 30 Apr 25 Apr 10 Apr 6 Apr 11 Apr 20 Apr 26 Apr Mourning Warbler 13 May 5 May 12 May 19 May 14 May 15 May 11 May 31 May 3 May 22 May 14 May 15 May Common Yellowthroat 29 Apr 26 Apr 27 Apr 27 Apr 23 Apr 6 May 6 May 20 Apr 30 Apr 19 Apr 27 Apr 30 Apr Wilson's Warbler 4 May 11 May 12 May 8 May 17 May 21 May 10 May 14 May 24 Apr 10 May 11 May Canada Warbler 14 May 15 May 4 May 13 May 10 May 14 May 13 May 15 May 5 May 2 May 10 May 11 May Scarlet Tanager 6 May 3 May 3 May 5 May 4 May 5 May 10 May 7 May 26 Apr 26 Apr 3 May 4 May Rose-breasted Grosbeak 26 Apr 28 Apr 25 Apr 30 Apr 27 Apr 1 May 5 May 27 Apr 20 Apr 20 Apr 26 Apr 28 Apr Indigo Bunting 29 Apr 6 May 28 Apr 30 Apr 6 May 14 Mav 12 Mav 12 May 25 Apr 21 Apr 3 May 4 May Eastern Towhee 3 Apr 7 Apr 15 Mar 13 Apr 20 Mar 17 Apr; 23 Apr 13 Apr 12 Apr 6 Apr 10 Apr Chipping Sparrow 9 Apr 6 Apr 11 Mar 10 Apr 8 Apr 17 Apr 10 Apr 13 Apr 5 Mar 2 Apr 2 Apr 5 Apr Vesper Sparrow 13 Apr 1 Apr 3 Apr 10 Apr 12 Apr 30 Mar 7 May 16 Mar 26 Apr 10 Apr 9 Apr 11 Apr Savannah Sparrow 10 Apr 31 Mar 2 Apr 10 Apr 5 Apr 6 Apr 9 Apr 16 Apr 16 Mar 11 Apr 5 Apr 8 Apr Lincoln's Sparrow 25 Apr 26 Apr 26 Apr 7 May 3 May 6 May 8 May 28 Apr 2 May 1 May 4 May White-crowned Sparrow 23 Apr 26 Apr 30 Apr 27 Apr 24 Mar 6 May 16 Apr 13 Apr! 20 Apr 25 Apr Bobolink 1 May 26 Apr 27 Apr 2 May 26 Apr 1 May 8 May 5 May 2 May 2 May 1 May 2 May Baltimore Oriole 26 Apr 26 Apr 26 Apr 27 Apr 27 Apr 27 Apr 29 Apr 27 Apr 20 Apr 18 Apr 25 Apr 30 Apr Overall Average 20 Apr 18 Apr 16 Apr 24 Apr 20 Apr 25 Apr 29 Apr 23 Apr 18 Apr 16 Apr 21 Apr 23 Apr Dates in bold type are record early arrivals for the Region. Seasonality and Advance Species Seasonality Advance Regional Region Reported vs 1987-2007 (Days) Record Early 1 92 -1.04 -1.31 5 2 91 -1.24 -2.57 2 3 86 -3.64 -4.5 8 4 83 -1.87 2.81 4 5 91 -2.25 -1.45 8 6 81 -5.67 3.9 10 7 89 -0.82 8.26 4 8 88 -1.32 2.19 4 9 85 -2.54 -2.69 8 10 76 -1.84 -4.65 5 Possible number of species = 93. Minus implies average arrival in a Region this year was earlier than the Region’s 22-year average (Seasonality) or earlier than the average of all Regions (Advance). Given difficulties in estimating arrivals of some species in some Regions, Seasonality for those Regions and Advance for all Regions may mean little. REGION 1—NIAGARA FRONTIER Mike Morgante 59 Briar Hill Road, Orchard Park, NY 14127 morgm@roadrunner.com March 2008 was cold, as persistent low pressure over eastern Canada kept a general northwest flow of air over the Region most of the month. The mean temperature at the Buffalo weather station was 31.5°F, 2.8° below average. There was 4.22" of precipitation, 1.23" above average, along with 21.9" of snow, 16.7" more than average. Most of the snow fell during an event on the 7*- 8*. The last day of the month brought 60°F and a large flow of migrant raptors, blackbirds, and other species that were backed up. The eastern basin of Lake Erie remained frozen throughout the month. It was the warmest April in 53 years and third warmest on record. The mean temperature was 50.9°F, 5.6° above average. Precipitation was 2.05", 0.99" below average. A two-week stretch of June-like weather started on the 16* and spring growth accelerated rapidly. The eastern basin of Lake Erie, including harbors, was ice free on the 19th, about one week later than average. The average temperature in May was 53.4°F, 3.6° below normal. Rainfall was frequent but light, with 2.54" falling, 0.81" below normal. A northwest flow of air dominated the month similar to March. The Kingbird 200^ September; 58 (3) 243 Waterfowl migration was a little slow in the first half of March, which was likely attributable to the colder weather and mostly frozen water bodies. Snow Geese were reported in modest numbers again this spring, with a maximum of 111. They occur far less regularly and in much lower numbers than in the Regions to the east. There was a strong showing, likely the best ever, for Greater White-fronted Geese. Eight in Wilson on 17 March represents the record maximum count for Region 1. Cackling Geese also made a good showing, with sightings from eight different locations. Only one Brant was reported. Eurasian Wigeon was the highlight of the migrant ducks even though it has occurred on an annual basis in recent years. Numbers of many dabbler species, especially Blue-winged Teal, were lower than usual in May, when remaining birds are likely looking to breed. Turkey Vultures continue to dominate the Region’s hawk watches, Hamburg and Ripley, especially in March when they far outnumbered other species combined. Somewhat surprisingly, neither hawk watch had a Black Vulture this year, but Richard Salembier spotted one migrating over Amherst State Park on 22 April. The peak days for migrant Broad-winged Hawks were 19 April and 26 April this spring. A very rare dark morph Broad-winged Hawk was observed by Willie D’Anna in Ripley on 27 April. A rare dark morph Red-tailed Hawk was observed by several hawk watchers at Hamburg on 20 April. Previously documented Bald Eagle, Osprey, and Peregrine Falcon nesting locations were active again this year. Sandhill Cranes continue to increase as migrants, and documented breeding is likely only a matter of time and luck in finding them. Two rare waders this season included a Snowy Egret in Wilson found by Gerry Teal and a Little Blue Heron found at Dunkirk Harbor by Terry Mosher and Dave Neveu. The Great Egret rookery at Motor Island continues to increase; Bill Watson counted 57 birds and 37 nests there on 2 May. Great Blue Herons and Black-crowned Night-Herons also continue to thrive at the Motor Island rookery. Shorebirds were found with some regularity at Kumph Marsh at Iroquois NWR as well as several locations at the nearby Oak Orchard and Tonawanda WMAs, Elsewhere, shorebird migration was mostly inconsistent, as usual in spring for Region 1. The prolonged mid-April warm up may have had something to do with the second earliest Black-bellied Plover on record. Kate Shulgina identified one in flight at Iroquois NWR on 19 April. I identified an American Golden-Plover at Barcelona Harbor on 23 April, a species that is rare in spring. The shorebird rarity of the spring was a Long-billed Dowitcher found and photographed by Jim Pawlicki at Kumph Marsh on 2 May. This is only the second documented Regional occurrence in spring with the first being in 2006. Many shorebirds were found in good numbers at several locations over the last few days of May including record Regional spring counts of Semipalmated Sandpipers. The passerine migration seemed to be ahead of schedule after two weeks of extremely warm weather in April but then steadied back to a normal pace in 244 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) May. There were some high counts of warblers, especially Palm, at several locations on 2 May. Otherwise, there were only isolated high counts of species and/or numbers of warblers. This spring’s rarities included: a Kentucky Warbler at Beaver Island State Park, a Connecticut Warbler at Amherst State Park, and a migrant Prothonotary Warbler at Fort Niagara State Park. A migrant Yellow-throated Warbler was found at Amherst State Park in April, and they were also found at Allegany State Park in May where they have bred for the past few years. There was only one report of Golden-winged Warbler, another troubling sign for this regionally declining species. Common Nighthawks arrived late in May, and there were several reports of more than 20 birds per night, a number which has rarely occurred in recent spring seasons. There were several reports of Bohemian Wax wings along the Lake Ontario plain in March constituting the first ever spring reports for the Region. American Pipits are known to push through in May, sometimes in larger numbers than when they first arrive in March and April. On 11 May, Jim Pawlicki witnessed a large movement of pipits along Lake Erie in Ripley. Using a handheld counter, he tallied 675 pipits during a two hour period. As expected, Common Redpolls were seen in good numbers in March following the good fall and winter seasons for sightings. Sightings trailed off in April. Doug Beattie was surprised to find one at a hanging feeder on 19 May, which ties the latest on record in the Region. Also unusual was an apparent leucistic Common Redpoll photographed by Barbara Patterson in Freedom in March. The bird maintained its red cap and black on the wings and tail but was otherwise entirely white and devoid of all brown coloration. Unlike the redpolls, Pine Siskins were not widely distributed; however, there were several sightings per month this spring. Two White-winged Crossbills remained from February as occasional visitors to Mark Morgante’s Clarence feeder in March. There were only several Evening Grosbeak sightings and no Red Crossbill sightings this spring, as more were expected following the late fall flights of these species. The most notable rarity this spring was an immature male Blue Grosbeak found by David Wheeler at Woodlawn Beach State Park on 11 May. The bird remained in the same area through 15 May allowing many birders to find it, although it was not always easy to do so. This constitutes the 4“^ documented occurrence in the Region. Another southerner that rarely reaches our Region is Summer Tanager. Richard Salembier and Jim Pawlicki were delighted to find an immature male at Amherst State Park on 27 May while they were waiting patiently and unsuccessfully for a singing Connecticut Warbler to show itself As the climate moderates, we might expect to find more Blue Grosbeaks and Summer Tanagers reaching the Region in the years ahead. The B.O.S. April Count on 13 April was held on a cold day with rain and snow showers in the morning. A total of 153 species was tallied over the entire Region 1 and the portion of the B.O.S, Study Area in Ontario. There were nine record high counts since the 1935 inception including: Green-winged Teal (392), Wild Turkey (435), Eared Grebe (5, all seen in Ontario), Virginia Rail The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) 245 (7), Sandhill Crane (4), Greater Yellowlegs (121), Upland Sandpiper (2), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (183), and Yellow-rumped Warbler (69). No record low counts were recorded. The B.O.S. May Count on 18 May was conducted on a cloudy morning with bouts of heavy rain. The weather likely contributed to a below average number of total birds and low counts for many species. A total of 204 species was observed. Three species were recorded at their highest total ever (since 1935): Mute Swan (12), Red-throated Loon (31), and Great Egret (60), while there were also high counts for Black-crowned Night Heron (196), Sandhill Crane (4), Ruddy Turnstone (24), Common Tern (590), and Homed Lark (58). Sora was not recorded on the count for the first time ever. Other historical low counts included Blue-winged Teal (4), Cemlean Warbler (1), and Canada Warbler (5), while other very low counts were for Common Moorhen (3), Red-shouldered Hawk (3), Ovenbird (91), and Brown Creeper (6). CONTRIBUTORS Tim Baird, Doug Beattie, Jim Berry, Elizabeth Brooks, Bmce Chilton, Willie D’Anna, Elaine Dart, Stephen Eaton, Robert Ensminger, Mike Galas, Joanne Goetz (JGo), Joe Gula (JGu), Doug Happ, Barb Henderson, Paul Hess - INWR, Linda Holmes, Jennifer Kurtzdorfer, Eric Labato, Jim Landau (JiL), Lynne Landon, Jerry Lazarczyk (JeL), Tom LeBlanc, Paul Lupenecki, John McCanna, Mark Morgante (MaM), Mike Morgante (MiM), Terry Mosher, Dave Neveu, Susan & Tom O’Donnell, Barbara Patterson (BPa), Jim Pawlicki, Betsy Potter (BPo), Damon Praefke, Jeff Reed, Gerry Rising, Don Roberson, Richard Rosche, Chuck Rosenburg, Richard Salembier (RSa), Debbie Sharon, Kate Shulgina, Jeanine Smith, Robert Spahn (RSp), Tom Sommerville, David & Debbie Suggs (D&DS), Gerry Teal, Nancy Vigyikan, William Watson, David Wheeler, Larry Wilson, Peter Yoerg, Mike Zebehazy. ABBREVIATIONS AISP - Allegany SP, CATT; AmSP - Amherst SP, ERIE; BeSP - Beaver I SP, ERIE; BOSAC - Buffalo Ornithological Society April Count - 13 April; BOSMC - Buffalo Ornithological Society May Count - 18 May; BuSP - Buckhom Island SP, ERIE; BWWTP - Batavia Waste Water Treatment Plant, GENE; ChauL - Chautauqua L, CHAU; DH - Dunkirk Harbor; FMCSP - Four Mile Creek SP, NIAG; FNSP - Fort Niagara SP, NIAG; GHSP - Golden Hill SP, NIAG; Hamburg HW - Hamburg Hawk Watch, ERIE; INWR - Iroquois NWR, GENE/ORLE; LBSP - Lakeside Beach SP, ORLE; MI - Motor I NR ERIE; NFSP - Niagara Falls SP, NIAG; NR - Niagara R; OOWMA - Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area, GENE; PG - Point Gratiot, CHAU; Ripley 246 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) HW - Ripley Hawk Watch, CHAU; SPNS - Sinking Ponds Nature Sanctuary, ERIE; Tifft NP - Tifft Nature Preserve, ERIE; TBNP - Times Beach Nature Preserve, ERIE; TWMA - Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area, GENE/NIAG; WoBSP - Woodlawn Beach SP, ERIE; WTSP - Wilson- Tuscarora SP, NIAG. WHISTLING-DUCKS - VULTURES Gr. White-fronted Goose: arr 4 WTSP 15 Mar (DS); 4, 8, 1 Wilson NIAG 16; 17, 29 Mar (GT; WD, BPo), record maximum for Reg; Yates ORLE 23 Mar (PY, BH); INWR 29 Mar (JP, RSa); 4 Somerset NIAG 30 Mar (JP, WD, mob); excellent showing. Snow Goose: 11 Elma ERIE 13 Mar; 3 wh, 8 bl Oakfield GENE 16 Mar; 45 Somerset NIAG 21 Mar (DS); 5 Wilson NIAG 21 Mar; max 111 Yates ORLE 22 Mar (WD); 10 Belmont ALLE 24 Mar; Sheridan CHAU 24 Mar; 19 Alexander GENE, 23 BeSP 30 Mar; last DH, OOWMA 6 Apr. Cackling Goose: arr 2 Elma ERIE (MZ) & DH 13 Mar (JP, WW, JGu); max 8 TWMA 15 Mar (JP, RE); 2, 3 INWR 22, 29 Mar (JP); Wilson NIAG 23 Mar; 2 Yates ORLE 23 Mar; 4 Newstead ERIE 29 Mar (PY); last 4 OOWMA 6 Apr (PY); good showing. Brant: ORLE BOSMC, only report. Mute Swan: 2 OOWMA 27 Apr; Porter NIAG 11,12 May; only reports away from now regular 3-4 nest locations along L Ontario. Tundra Swan: arr multiple locations 3 Mar; 150 ChauL 8 Mar (JB); 200, 125 Conewango CATT 23, 29 Mar (TB, SE); 160 Wilson NIAG 29 Mar (WD); last 10 BOSAC. Wood Duck: Belmont ALLE 5 Mar, second arrival report. Gadwall: arr 5 Tonawanda ERIE 2 Mar. EURASIAN WIGEON: INWR 27 Mar (GR, NV); annual in spring in recent years. Am. Wigeon: arr 5 Amity ALLE 11 Mar. Am. Black Duck: arr 11 Alexander GENE 10 Mar. Blue-winged Teal: arr 2 Tifft NP 27 Mar. N. Shoveler: arr 6 BWWTP 16 Mar; 2 INWR 25 May. N. Pintail: 52 Sheridan CHAU 21 Mar (DN); 168 Pomfret CHAU 22 Mar (DN); max 870 INWR 5 Apr (JP, WW). Green-winged Teal: arr OOWMA 16 Mar. Canvasback: arr 3 Amity ALLE 14 Mar. Redhead: arr 6 ChauL 16 Mar. Ring-necked Duck: arr 12 Amity ALLE 14 Mar; 2 Tifft NP 31 May (RSa). Greater Scaup: last 2 DH 24 May. The Kingbird 200^ September; 58 (3) Lesser Scaup: arr Belmont ALLE 16 Mar; last 2 TBNP 29 May. Surf Scoter: Pt Breeze ORLE 2 Mar; 4,4, 2 DH 4, 12, 29 Mar; only reports. White-winged Scoter: 2 BWWTP 27 Apr, uncommon inland. Black Scoter; PB 2 Mar; 2, 2 DH 24 Mar, 6 Apr; 2 Wilson NIAG 29 Mar; only reports. Long-tailed Duck: arr 6 ChauL 16 Mar; Pomfret CHAU 31 Mar; TWMA 5 Apr; 3 Dayton CATT 6 Apr; 3 OOWMA 6 Apr; Bethany GENE 14 Apr; last 274 BOSMC. Bufflehead: arr 3 Pomfret CHAU 18 Mar; last BOSMC. Hooded Merganser: arr 2 Belmont ALLE 9 Mar. Com. Merganser: arr 7 Belmont ALLE 6 Mar. Red-breasted Merganser: max 1024 DH 29 Mar, counts rarely made in spring when abundant on L Erie. Ruddy Duck: arr 7 DH 13 Mar; max 77 BWWTP 27 Apr; 2 Dayton CATT 6 Apr; Cuba L ALLE 15 Apr; 21 TWMA 27 Apr; AISP 13 May. Red-throated Loon: Olcott NIAG 2 Mar; DH 13 Mar (WW, JP, JGu); ChauL 28 Mar (JB); Dayton CATT BOSAC, rare inland; last 31 BOSMC, all along L Ontario. Com. Loon; arr 3 Hamburg HW 23 Mar. Horned Grebe: arr 7 ChauL 16 Mar; max 70 Somerset NIAG 30 Mar; 6 Cuba L ALLE 15 Apr; last 2 BOSMC. Red-necked Grebe: 10 LBSP 2 Mar; 2 PB 2 Mar; 2 Yates ORLE, GHSP 15 Mar; 1-2 DH 2 - 22 Mar; max 25, 14 Somerset NIAG 30 Mar, 9 Apr; 333 BOSAC. EARED GREBE: Buffalo ERIE 28 Apr (WD), found dead in parking lot. Double-crested Cormorant: arr ChauL 28 Mar; 282 + 119 n BuSP 26 Apr. Am. Bittern: arr ALLE BOSAC; 3 ALLE BOSMC; no other reports away from INWR complex. Least Bittern: arr Amherst ERIE 15 May (JP, RSa). Great Blue Heron: max 82 + 64 n MI 8 Apr. Great Egret; arr 3 MI 30 Mar; max 57 -t- 39 n MI 2 May. 247 SNOWY EGRET: WTSP 8 May (GT), rare but regular in spring. LITTLE BLUE HERON: DH 24 May (TM!, DN), rare. Green Heron: arr BOSAC. Black-crowned Night-Heron: max 163 NF 10 Apr. BLACK VULTURE: AmSP 22 Apr (RSa!), nearly annual in spring. Turkey Vulture: arr Lancaster ERIE 3 Mar; max 1716 Ripley HW 25 Mar; 1711 Hamburg HW 30 Mar. HAWKS - ALCIDS Osprey: arr 2 Allegheny Res CATT 24 Mar (TL); 2 Conewango WMA CATT 30 Mar, building nest; 1 + n BuSP 26 Apr, 2"‘* year nesting in this area; max 44 Ripley HW 2 May; 4 nests INWR & vicinity. Bald Eagle: too numerous to report all nesting locations; 14 BOSAC; max 12 Ripley HW 5 May; 15 BOSMC; 6 im Sheridan CHAU 24 May (DN). N. Goshawk: im Newfane NIAG 15 Mar (WD!); im Wilson NIAG 5 Apr (WD, BPo); AISP 16 May (JR); only reports away from hawkwatches. Red-shouldered Haw k: arr Orchard Park ERIE 9 Mar; 2 Ashford CATT 11 Mar; relatively low numbers at hawkwatches. Broad-winged Hawk: arr BOSAC; max 2650 Ripley HW, 838 Hamburg HW 19 Apr; dark morph Ripley CHAU 27 Apr (WD), very rare; last 23 Hamburg HW 26 May. Red-tailed Hawk: dark-morph Hamburg HW 20 Apr (JP, WD), rarely reported. Rough-legged Hawk: max 7 INWR 22 Mar; 4 BOSMC; last Ripley CHAU 20 May. Golden Eagle: arr Yates ORLE 30 Mar (JP!, WWI); 2 Tifft NP 31 Mar (DW); Carlton ORLE 26 Apr (PY!); Hamburg HW 27 Apr (DHl). Merlin: 2 continued at SUNY Buffalo thru 29 Mar; arr Hamburg HW 3 Apr; Williamsville ERIE 5 Apr; 2 BOSAC; Wilson NIAG 2 May; only reports. Peregrine Falcon: Tonawanda ERIE 2 Mar; 2 Grand I NR 2 Mar; arr Hamburg HW 3 Mar; 2 Buffalo Psych Center ERIE 13 Mar; Tifft NP 31 Mar; 2 NF 10 Apr; I + n Buffalo ERIE thru, from annual nest location downtown; Ripley CHAU 27 Apr; 1, 1 Hamburg HW 29 Apr, 5 May; INWR 4 May; last Wilson NIAG 31 May (WD). 248 Virginia Rail: arr SPNS BOSAC (LH); FMCSP 14 Apr; BuSP 15 Apr; Alexander GENE 1 May; Porter NIAG 31 May; only reports. Sora: arr BOSAC; 3 Tifft NP 11 May; 3 Tonawanda ERIE 11 May. Com. Moorhen: arr BOSAC; Pomfret CHAU 1 May. Sandhill Crane: arr Pomfret CHAU 15-23 Mar (JS, JGo, TM); 4 Somerset NIAG & Yates ORLE 30 Mar (WD); BuSP 15 Apr (CR, MG); WTSP 15 Apr (BPo); 2 Tifft NP 26 Apr (RSa); 2 Somerset NIAG 26 Apr (WD); 4,1 Hamburg HW 27, 30 Apr (MZ, DH; JiL); INWR 4, 7 May (WW, PH); 3 BOSMC ; last 2 TWMA 21 May (WW, JP). Black-bellied Plover: arr INWR 19 Apr (KSl), second earliest ever; 1, 3 Wilson NIAG 9, 10 May; WoBSP 28 May; max 25 INWR 29 May (RSp); 9 Wilson NIAG 31 May. AM. GOLDEN-PLOVER: Barcelona Harbor CHAU 23 Apr (MiMl); rarely reported in spring. Semipalmated Plover: arr 2 INWR 3 May; max 27 INWR 21 May; 2 Sheldon WYOM 29 May, uncommon to rare in WYOM. Killdeer: arr Wellsville ALLE 1 Mar. Greater Yellowlegs: arr 8 INWR 3 Apr; max 39 BWWTP 15 Apr. Lesser Yellowlegs: arr 2 INWR 3 Apr; last BWWTP 29 May. Solitary Sandpiper: arr Porter NIAG 19 Apr (WD!), early; last 2 INWR 25 May. Willet: INWR 19-20 May (WD; RSp), only report, rare in spring. Spotted Sandpiper: arr BOSAC. Upland Sandpiper: arr 2 BOSAC; 4 Tillman WMA ERIE 18 Apr; NIAG BOSMC; only reports. Whimbrel: arr BOSMC; Westfield CHAU 23 May (JP); only reports. Ruddy Turnstone: arr 6 BOSMC; 3 DH 29 May; max 11 BWWTP 29 May (RSp). Sanderling: arr 2 BOSMC; DH 28 May (DN), only reports. Semipalmated Sandpiper: arr 25 BOSMC; max 400 BWWTP 29 May (RSp); 11 Sheldon WYOM 29 May (JeL); 110 Alexander GENE 29 May (DB, ED); 225 OOWMA 31 May (WD); 150 INWR 31 May (WD); record high counts for spring. Least Sandpiper: arr OOWMA 4 May. White-rumped Sandpiper: arr 2, 1 INWR 19, 21 May (JP); 2 BWWTP 29 May (RSp), only reports. The Kingbird 200% September; 58 (3) Pectoral Sandpiper: art 7 BOSAC ; last 6 OOWMA21 May. Purple Sandpiper: 3 NF 10 Apr; last 2 NF BOSMC, traditional location for spring reports. Dunlin: arr INWR 6 Apr (PY!), early; 36 INWR 21 May; 2, 2 Alexander GENE 21, 29 May; max 150 BWWTP 29 May (RSp). Short-billed Dowitcher: arr 4 BOSMC; max 36 INWR 21 May; 15 Alexander GENE 21 May (DB, ED); 15 OOWMA29 May; only reports. LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER: INWR 3 May (JP!), 2'’^* ever spring report. Wilson’s Snipe: arr 40 Randolph CATT 29 Mar (TB); 16 Villenova CHAU 12 Apr. Am. Woodcock: arr 3 WTSP 19 Mar. LAUGHING GULL: Barcelona Harbor CHAU 23 Apr (DN), rare in any season. Little Gull: DH 2, 11 Mar; max 8 Lewiston NR 18 Mar; 10 BOSAC. Bonaparte’s Gull: 4 Riverwalk ALLE 14 Mar; 16 ChauL 29 Mar; 2 Warsaw WYOM 7 Apr; 20, 20 Cuba L ALLE 9, 15 Apr; 130 BeSP 22 May; 35 Wilson NIAG 30 May; 125 FNSP 31 May, good counts for late in season. Iceland Gull: 1-2 Wilson NIAG 18 Mar - 23 Apr; BeSP 28 Apr; Olcott NIAG 29 Apr; Wilson NIAG 19 May (WD); only reports away from NR in Mar. Lesser Black-backed Gull: im Wilson NIAG 19, 24,31 May(WD!), late. Glaucous Gull: DH 2 Mar; ChauL 28 Mar; Wilson NIAG 30 Mar; Silver Creek CHAU 16 Apr; DH 27 Apr; last DH 23 May (DN). Great Black-backed Gull: 480 DH 11 Mar (RR), outnumbered ring-bills and herrings. Caspian Tern: arr Brant ERIE 9 Apr; 75 Barcelona Harbor CHAU 19 Apr; 80 Olcott NIAG 29 Apr; max 140 DH 1 May (DN, JP). Com. Tern: arr 2 Buffalo NR 6 Apr (JP), slightly early; 195 Wilson NIAG 19 May (WD), high count for location and date. Forster’s Tern: arr NR BOSAC (WD!); CHAU BOSMC; 3 Olcott NIAG 19 May (WD); last Wilson NIAG 26 May (WD). Black Tern: arr INWR 26 Apr; max 15 TWMA 4 May; 2 NR 10 May (DS); 13 BOSMC; BeSP 22 May (JP). PIGEONS - WOODPECKERS Black-billed Cuckoo: arr Alexander GENE 6 May. Yellow-billed Cuckoo: arr FNSP 13 May. Long-eared Owl: 1,2 FMCSP 23 Mar, 3 Apr (BPo); Jamestown CHAU 16 Apr (JM), The Kingbird 200B> September; 58 (3) perched in open in front yard of residential area; only reports. Short-eared Owl: 2 Shelby ORLE 2 Mar; Royal ton NIAG 11 Mar; 4 Hartland NIAG 17 Mar; 4, 1 TWMA 5, 20 Apr, only reports. N. Saw-whet Owl: INWR 16 Mar (CR); Alabama GENE 29 Mar (RSa); only reports. Com. Nighthawk: arr Buffalo ERIE 25 May; 3 Alexander GENE 27 May; 12 WoBSP, 3 Elma ERIE 28 May; max 30, 40 Dunkirk CHAU 29, 30 May; 7 Ripley CHAU 29 May; 20 WTSP 30 May. Chimney Swift: arr 4 Buffalo ERIE 23 Apr. Ruby-throated Hummingbird: arr Eden ERIE 29 Apr. Red-headed Woodpecker; 2 BOSAC; 1-2 PG 26 Apr thru; Williamsville ERIE 13 May; 2 FNSP 15 May; 9 BOSMC; Orchard Park ERIE 19-22 May; Barre ORLE 21 May; Olcott NIAG 24 May; only reports. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: arr BeSP 4 Apr; max 183 BOSAC, record high count. FLYCATCHERS ■ WAXWINGS Olive-sided Flycatcher: arr 1, 1 AISP 13, 31 May (TB); BeSP 24 May (DS), only reports. E. Wood-Pewee; arr FNSP 8 May. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher: arrTifftNP 15 May; 2 AmSP 22 May; Tifft NP 31 May; only reports. Acadian Flycatcher: arr AISP 13 May; 2 Holland ERIE 24 May; Pomfret CHAU 24 May; 2 Chestnut Ridge P ERIE 25 May; only reports. Alder Flycatcher: arr Carroll CHAU 24 May. Willow Flycatcher: arr AmSP 16 May. Least Flycatcher: arr Tifft NP 30 Apr; empid at PG 25 Apr was likely this species. E. Phoebe; arr TWMA, Alexander GENE 29 Mar. Gr. Crested Flycatcher: arr Tifft NP, GHSP, Ripley CHAU 26 Apr. E. Kingbird: arr Alexander GENE 29 Apr. N. Shrike; last BOSAC. White-eyed Vireo: arr Sheridan CHAU 26 Apr (DN); Westfield CHAU 1-23 May (JP); TifftNP13May(RSa). Yellow-throated Vireo: arr Alexander GENE 8 May. Blue-headed Vireo: arr PG 17 Apr. Warbling Vireo: arr Tifft NP 26 Apr. Philadelphia Vireo: arr Westfield CHAU 8 May; WTSP 14 May; 2 BOSMC; FMCSP 26 May; Tonawanda ERIE 28 May; last Tifft NP 31 May; only reports. 249 Red-eyed Vireo; air NFSP, Orchard Park ERIE 10 May. Com. Raven: Wales ERIE 15 Mar; Hamburg HW 11 Apr; Arkwright CHAU 4 May; Bethany GENE 4-11 May; 2 Attica Res WYOM 29 May; only reports outside ALEE, CATT besides BOS counts. Purple Martin: arr FNSP 11 Apr. Tree Swallow: arr 3 INWR 27 Mar. N. Rough-winged Swallow: arr DH 6 Apr. Bank Swallow; arr 2 Hamburg ERIE 20 Apr. Cliff Swallow: arr 6 BuSP 26 Apr. Barn Swallow: arr TWMA 29 Mar; 4587 BOSMC, cool weather on count day concentrated swallows in many locations. Carolina Wren: 12 BOSAC & 10 BOSMC; low numbers for this decade. House Wren: arr 2 PG, Bethany GENE 17 Apr. Winter Wren: arr FMCSP 3 Apr. Marsh Wren: arr 2 Alexander GENE 27 Apr. Golden-crowned Kinglet: arr 3 BeSP 2 Apr. Ruby-crowned Kinglet: arr Silver Creek CHAU 7 Apr. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: arr BOSAC. Veery: arr Tifft NP, Sheridan CHAU 2 May. Gray-cheeked Thrush: arr NIAG BOSMC; NFSP 24 May; Tillman WMA ERIE 25 May; Wilson NIAG 31 May; only reports. Swainson’s Thrush: arr Tonawanda ERIE 6 May. Hermit Thrush: arr Tifft NP 7 Apr. Wood Thrush: arr Tifft NP 26 Apr. Gray Catbird: arr AmSP 15 Apr. Brown Thrasher: arr PG 8 Apr. Am. Pipit: arr 16 Alexander GENE, 3 Hamburg HW 29 Mar; max 675 Ripley CHAU 11 May (JP), count of flyovers over two hour period. BOHEMIAN WAXWING. WTSP 6 Mar (BPo!); Newfane NIAG 11 Mar (WW!, JP!); max 22 WTSP 15 Mar (DS); 7 Wilson NIAG 27 Mar (BPol); first ever spring reports for Reg. WARBLERS Blue-winged Warbler: arr Tifft NP 26 Apr (RSal), slightly early. Golden-winged Warbler: arr Wilson NIAG 2 May (BPo, WD), only report, “Brewster’s” Warbler: TWMA 13, 19,21 May (EL, JP); Amherst ERIE 15 May (JP, RSa); only reports. Tennessee Warbler; arr FNSP 8 May. Orange-crowned Warbler: arr BeSP 6 May (DS); 1, 1, 1 Wilson NIAG 7, 19, 25 May (BPo, WD); 2 FMCSP 10 May (WD); Woodlawn ERIE 11 May (JP); Newfane NIAG 24 May (WD, BPo); good showing. Nashville Warbler: arr Wilson NIAG 25 Apr. N. Parula: arr Wilson NIAG 3 May. Yellow Warbler: arr 2 Westfield CHAU 25 Apr. Chestnut-sided Warbler: arr NFSP 1 May. Magnolia Warbler: arr Alexander GENE 27 Apr (DBl, ED), record early. Cape May Warbler: arr AmSP 30 Apr; max 3 Sheridan CHAU 8 May (JP, DN). Black-throated Blue Warbler: arr BeSP 29 Apr. Yellow-rumped Warbler: arr AmSP 2 Apr; 73 Sheridan CHAU 2 May (DN); max 150 FNSP 4 May (LL). Black-throated Green Warbler: arr 3 Ripley CHAU, Sherman CHAU, 2 AmSP 23 Apr. Blackburnian Warbler: arr BeSP 27 Apr. YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER: AmSP 23, 24 Apr (JP, RSa); 2 AISP 31 May (TB, JP), in previous breeding area. Pine Warbler: arr Orchard Park ERIE 11 Apr; max 4 WTSP 19 Apr; Chestnut Ridge P ERIE 25 May; 2 AISP 31 May. Prairie Warbler: arr 2 Woodlawn ERIE 11 May (DW). Palm Warbler: arr Tifft NP 20 Apr; 16 NFSP I May (DR); 55 AmSP 2 May (RSa); max 96, 47 Sheridan CHAU 2, 4 May (DN); last 25 BOSMC. Bay-breasted Warbler: arr Wilson NIAG 3 May. Blackpoll Warbler: arr WoBSP 13 May; max II Tifft NP 31 May (RSa). Cerulean Warbler; arr Tifft NP 5 May (JK). Black-and-white Warbler: arr 2 Wilson NIAG 25 Apr. Am. Redstart: arr 2 Wilson NIAG, PG 3 May. Prothonotary Warbler: arr FNSP 7 May (LLI), rare away from breeding areas; TWMA 20 May (DB, ED), has bred in this area in recent years. Ovenbird; arr Pomfret CHAU 27 Apr. N. Waterthrush: arr 2 Portland CHAU, Tifft NP 26 Apr. Louisiana Waterthrush: arr 2 BOSAC. KENTUCKY WARBLER: BeSP 21 May (DS), nearly annual in spring. Connecticut Warbler: AmSP 27 May (JP!, RSa!), only report. Mourning Warbler: arr Sherman CHAU 13 May. 250 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) C. Yellowthroat: arr Moss L ALLE 29 Apr. Hooded Warbler: arr Hamburg ERIE 26 Apr (MiM). Wilson’s Warbler: arr Tifft NP 4 May (DP), early; Sheridan CHAU 5 May (DN), early. Canada Warbler: arr BeSP 14 May. TANAGERS - WEAVERS SUMMER TANAGER: im m AmSP 27 May (JP!, RSa!), rare. Scarlet Tanager: arr Bethany GENE 6 May. E. Towhee: Dunkirk CHAU 6-11 Mar; arr Pomfret CHAU 3 Apr. Am. Tree Sparrow: last TBNP 19 Apr. Chipping Sparrow: arr 5 Alfred ALLE 9 Apr. Clay-colored Sparrow: no reports. Field Sparrow: arr Belmont ALLE 10 Apr. Vesper Sparrow: arr 7 BOSAC; 3 BOSMC; Barre ORLE 21 May; Batavia GENE 31 May; only reports. Savannah Sparrow: arr 2 Clarence ERIE & 2 Bethany GENE 10 Apr. Grasshopper Sparrow: arr Ripley CHAU 14 May; 12 BOSMC; 3 Tillman WMA ERIE 25 May; only reports. Henslow’s Sparrow: no reports. Fox Sparrow: arr Pomfret CHAU 1 Mar (TM); Amherst ERIE thru 6 Apr; max 19 Tifft NP 7 Apr (RSa); last Tonawanda ERIE 9 May (BC). Lincoln’s Sparrow: arr 2 PG 25 Apr (DN), early; last Sheridan CHAU 26 May. Swamp Sparrow: arr 56 BOSAC. White-throated SparroAv: max 150 Tifft NP 26 Apr. White-crowned Sparrow: arr 2 NFSP 23 Apr; last Wilson NIAG 25 May. Lapland Longspur: 20, 10 Yates ORLE 2, 11 Mar; only reports. Snow Bunting: 200 Yates ORLE 2 Mar; 180 Bethany GENE 10 Mar; 271 Somerset & Hartland NIAG 11 Mar; last 9 BOSAC. Rose-breasted Grosbeak: arr several locations 26 Apr. BLUE GROSBEAK: im m WoBSP 11-15 May (DW, mob, NYSARC), 4th in Reg, see intro. Indigo Bunting: arr Hamburg ERIE 29 Apr, early (PL). Bobolink: arr 6 Bethany GENE 1 May. Red-winged Blackbird: arr 8 Houghton ALLE 2 Mar; max 1110 Hamburg HW 31 Mar. E. Meadowlark: arr Eden ERIE 4 Mar. Rusty Blackbird: arr 3 Angelica ALLE 25 Mar; 25 Conewango CATT 29 Mar; max 600 TWMA 23 Apr (PY); last 12 BOSMC. Com. Grackle: arr 4 Hamburg HW 3 Mar; max 4526 Hamburg HW 31 Mar (WW). Orchard Oriole: arr 1,2 Silver Creek CHAU 26, 29 Apr (DN); max 5 Ripley CHAU 8 May (JP); SPNS 12 May (LH); 10 BOSMC; Varysburg WYOM 19 May (TS); 2 Pomfret CHAU 24 May, seems to be slowly increasing. Baltimore Oriole: arr BuSP 26 Apr. Purple Finch: arr Wilson NIAG 8 Apr; 159 BOSAC; 152 BOSMC; low numbers. White-winged Crossbill: 2 Clarence ERIE II, 20, 24 Mar (MaM), only report. Com. Redpoll: max 300 Hartland NIAG 2 Mar (JP, CR); leucistic Freedom CATT 11 Mar (BPa); well reported in Mar; 42 banded Alfred ALLE 4 Apr (EB); 71 BOSAC; last Bethany GENE 19 May (DBl), latest on record along with same date in 1971. HOARY REDPOLL: Varysburg WYOM 21 Mar (WW! JP! TS), rare. Pine Siskin: 15 Orchard Park ERIE 1-31 Mar; only scattered reports in Apr & May; 15 Varysburg WYOM 19 May (TS); last Boston ERIE 25 May. Evening Grosbeak: “large flock” Hume ALLE early Mar; 8 Caneadea ALLE 27 Mar (LW); 2 Wales ERIE 5 Apr (D&DS); 6 ALLE BOSAC; Fredonia CHAU 3 May (JGo); Buffalo ERIE 10 May (PY, BH); last ALLE BOSMC; only reports. The Kingbird 2^0^ September; 58 (3) 251 REGION 2-GENESEE Kevin C. Griffith 61 Grandview Lane, Rochester, NY 14612 ckg rif @f ronti ernet.net We can almost start every spring season report with a similar statement: It was an up and down season. But that's the nature of spring. March started out mild, but it didn't last. By the 4^^, winter had set in and lasted most of the month. Low pressure in eastern Canada kept the cold air flowing over the Region. The average temperature of 31.5°F was 2.4° below normal, with only about four days passing the 50° mark. Precipitation totaled 1.17" above normal at 3.75". Snowfall was 7" above normal for March at 23.6". April, on the other hand, warmed up. The low-pressure system had moved out and a blocking high- pressure system held over eastern Canada. By the second week temperatures were averaging above normal and the month finished with an average temperature of 52.3°, 7.0° above normal. A number of days were in the 70s and 80s contributing to the 3'^'^ warmest April ever. A record high of 86° was recorded on the 19‘^ Precipitation totaled 0.81" below normal at 1.94". Unusual for April, no snowfall was recorded. Of note was the 76% sunshine, which was well above the normal 50%. May did not continue that trend. An upper level trough over eastern Canada maintained a west to northwest flow across the Region generally keeping things cool. Still, it seemed to be a decent spring month. The average temperature was 54.8°, 2.2° cooler than usual. Amazingly, it was only 2.5° higher than April; we haven’t seen a smaller increase since 1945. Precipitation was half of the normal amount, with a total of 1.41". Again, possible sunshine was above normal at 66%. By the end of the season the 3- month temperature average was very near normal. Waterfowl were interesting in both number and variety. Greater White- fronted Goose reports were about normal, Ross’s Goose was noted again, and Cackling Goose was well reported. Canada Goose numbers were good. Four Brant along the lakeshore in Kendall were unusual for spring but not unprecedented. Mute Swans continued to be plentiful, and Trumpeter Swans were reported from the usual locations. Among the diving ducks, Greater Scaup was low; peak numbers in general were not very high. Of special note were reports of Eurasian Wigeon away from Lake Ontario, including a first Livingston County record from Conesus Lake. The male Barrow’s Goldeneye at Point Breeze was reported into the spring season. Am. Black Duck reports were few. Waterfowl, for the most part, moved out of the Region early. Unusually high numbers of Red-throated Loons were reported in March, earlier than normal, but loon totals for the season tended to be low or even very low according to some observers. A Pacific Loon flying past Webster Park in May was a highlight. Grebe numbers were very good. There wasn’t much in the line of waders, with only a few Great Egret reports and none of the rarer species. 252 The Kingbird September; 58 (3) Common Moorhen continues to be reported in very few locations—one at Braddock Bay was the only one noted along the west lakeshore this spring! March was not a good month for the hawk watch, again manned by Dave Tetlow, but things picked up with April’s warmup. April D* was a good day for raptors as well as Killdeer and some passerines. 20 April saw the peak day for total numbers at the hawkwatch for the season. May didn’t produce many great days due to clear skies and a persistent lake breeze. A 31 March arrival date for Osprey was early, but the total of eight recorded on that date was even more unusual. Swainson’s Hawk on 14 May was a highlight. Black Vulture was noted on two dates in April near Braddock Bay, but was more unusual at two other locations to the east in Wayne County in April and May. A Rough-legged Hawk at Braddock Bay on 26 May was getting late. Sandhill Cranes were again reported early and in good numbers, continuing the recent trend. Shorebird arrivals were somewhat late. Lack of habitat resulted in the bulk of the reports being birds flying past Braddock Bay or Hamlin Beach or birds visiting a couple of ponds in Geneseo. A Purple Sandpiper at Hamlin Beach in May was the Regional spring record. The Long-billed Dowitcher in Hamlin in May was just the 7* Regional spring record. 2258 Semipalmated Sandpipers at Hamlin Beach on 31 May was a State record high inland. Gull highlights included several Little Gull reports from Braddock Bay and Hamlin Beach in April, Thayer’s Gull at Braddock Bay in April, and Iceland Gull in April and Franklin’s Gull in May at Hamlin Beach. William Symonds, Robert Spahn, and Dave Tetlow manned Hamlin Beach this year on a regular basis. Their observations contributed to the many noteworthy reports from that location. Lesser Black-backed Gulls were reported in March and May continuing their trend to presence in most months. Tern numbers were generally poor, with no Forster’s in April and only 3 in May. The only Black Tern report was of five individuals at Braddock Bay on 3 May. Owl numbers were so-so, with Long-eared arriving in March and totaling 21 in April, and with over 40 N. Saw-whet Owls banded in April by Dave Genesky and Mike Frail; none lingered into May. May produced some excellent totals of Common Nighthawks. Greg Lawrence, Kimberly Sucy, and Dave Tetlow made a concentrated effort to count the nighthawks on selected evenings. Whip-poor-wills continued to be scarce, though one in Webster put on a nightly show for birders for several weeks. The passerine flight was its usual mixed bag. Due to the warm spell in April, many of the arrival dates were record early or tied record early dates for the Region, e.g.. Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Great Crested Flycatcher, Blue¬ winged Warbler, and Ovenbird. May arrivals tended to be on the late side, particularly for flycatchers and thrushes. Late April produced a burst of passerines on the 26‘^, There were also excellent flights noted at the hawkwatch during April and early May and a tremendous flight on the 14 May at the west spit of Braddock Bay. These were tallied by Dave Tetlow, who tried to count all species passing the hawkwatch this year. This is only possible with excellent skills in both bird identification and estimating of numbers; otherwise the The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) 253 counter will be swamped by just the time to ID and count the hawks he or she is paid to count on the good days. The April dates produced good numbers of Killdeer, Homed Larks, American Robins, American Pipits, and Lapland Longspurs. The May dates produced very large to record high numbers of Blue Jay, several swallows, American Pipit, some warblers, Scarlet Tanager, Rose¬ breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Bobolink, Baltimore Orioles, and American Goldfinch. On the down side, kinglet numbers were low, particularly Golden- crowned, with none banded at the Braddock Bay Bird Observatory. This could possibly be partially accounted for by the early warmth in April and the banding station startup after mid-month. Warblers were the usual mixed bag. On the plus side were N. Parula, Yellow, Cape May, Blackpoll, and Am. Redstart. The negative side included Tennessee, Nashville, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Yellow-mmped (amazingly), Black-throated Green, and Bay-breasted. Kentucky and Connecticut went unreported. There were a number of Clay- colored Sparrow reports, continuing a trend. Vesper and Grasshopper sparrows were okay, but Henslow’s was unreported. A Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow at Burger Park in Greece was the 10th spring record for the Region. White- throated and White-crowned sparrows were relatively scarce. Some observers felt that Rose-breasted Grosbeak numbers were generally low. The Western Meadowlark heard at Island Cottage Woods was the first in several years. Common Redpoll, Pine Siskin, and Evening Grosbeak all lingered into May. The March species total was 138, well below the 10-year average of 152.6; April totaled 194 species, which was considerably higher than the 10-year average of 178.9; and May topped out at 230 species, essentially on the 10-year average. The species total for the year stands at 259, also essentially at the 10- year average of 261.3 (Is = 7.62). CONTRIBUTORS Tom Anderson, Fred Arnold, Janet Atkin, Mike Baird, Jessie Barry, Bob Beal, Steven Benedict, Barry Bermudez, Richard Bishop, John Boettcher, Lynn Braband, George Briggs, Elizabeth Brooks (BBBO), Robert Byrnes, Bmce & Mary Ann Cady, Nancy Casper, Carolyn Cass, Gary Chapin, Kelly Close, Melissa Coniglio, Don Cowley, Kathleen Dalton, Steve Daniel, Doug Daniels, Pete Debes, Jon Dombrowski, Ted Floyd, Mike Frail, Kenny Frisch, Sharon Galbraith, Andrew Garland, Dave Genesky, Jay Greenberg, Kevin Griffith & Colleen Dox-Griffith, Lucretia Grosshans, Judy Gurley, Helen Haller, Dave & Vanna Harding, Kim Hartquist, Liz Hudson, Carolyn Jacobs, Tom Johnson, Ryan Kayhart, Jim Kimball, Tom Lathrop, Leona Lauster, Greg, Fred, and Holly Lawrence, Tim Lenz, Joan Lindberg, Don Marsh, Pat Martin, Robert & Sandy Mauceli, Robert & Chita McKinney, Feme Merrill, Randi Minetor, Frank Morlock, Dan Niven; Charles O’Brien, Richard O’Hara, John Olson, Jay Ovsiovitch, Jim Pawlicki, Michael Peter, Norma Platt, Bill & Betty Powell, Jay Powell, Gail Price, David Prill, RBA Field Trips, Carolyn Ragan, William 254 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) Rowley, Jo Roy, William Ruscher, Jennifer Ryeenga, Chuck Schleigh, Dominic Sherony, Joe Slattery, Judy Slein, John Slowik, Tom Smith, Spring Field Ornithology (SFO) Classes (from Cornell Lab), Joe Slattery, Kimberly Sucy, Robert & Susan Spahn, A1 & Di Stout, David Strong, Kimberly Sucy, Jerry Sullivan, William Symonds, Art Tanghe, Steve Taylor, Joyce Testa, David & Kathy Tetlow, Michael & Joann Tetlow, Don & Donna Traver, Brad Walker, Mike Wasilco, Ann Watson, Kinsley Whittum, Joe Wing, Chris Wood, Mark Wyman, Martha Zettel, Bruce Zollner. ABBREVIATIONS b. - banded; BB - Braddock Bay, MONR; BBBO - Braddock Bay Bird Observatory; CH - Cobbs Hill, Rochester, MONR; CL - Conesus Lake, LIVI; DE - Durand-Eastman Park, MONR; E - T Elba, GENE; EL - East Lakeshore, MONR,WAYN; G - T Greece, MONR; GE - T Geneseo, LIVI; H - T Hamlin, MONR; HB - Hamlin Beach State Park, MONR; HI - Highland Park, Rochester, MONR; HP - Hogan Pt, T Greece; I - T Irondequoit, MONR; ICW - Island Cottage Woods, T Greece, MONR; K - T Kendall, ORLE; LW - Letchworth State Park, LIVI,WYOM; M - Manitou Beach area, MONR; MP - Mendon Ponds Park, MONR; NR - Nations Road, T Avon/Geneseo, LIVI; OB - Ontario Beach, Charlotte, MONR; PA - T Parma, MONR; PB - Point Breeze, ORLE; PE - T Perinton, MONR; R - C Rochester, MONR; S - T Savannah, WAYN; W - T of Webster, MONR; WL - West Lakeshore, MONR, ORLE. BRADDOCK BAY HAWKWATCH TOTALS Species Arrival Max Max Date Total Black Vulture 5 Apr 1 5 & 9 Apr 2 Turkey Vulture 3 Mar 3279 1 Apr 18656 Osprey 31 Mar 60 3 May 295 Bald Eagle 1 Mar 34 26 May 268 No. Harrier 11 Mar 141 9 Apr 1207 Sharp-sh. Hawk 6 Mar 1266 3 May 5751 Cooper’s Hawk 3 Mar 87 1 Apr 564 No. Goshawk 12 Mar 5 1 Apr 20 Red-sh. Hawk 15 Mar 153 1 Apr 588 Broad-wng. Hawk 12 Apr 9570 20 Apr 29093 Swainson’s Hawk 14 May 1 14 May 1 Red-tailed Hawk 9 Mar 748 9 Apr 5601 Rough-lgd. Hawk 3 Mar 78 1 Apr 366 Golden Eagle 11 Mar 4 4, 17, & 19 Apr 35 Am. Kestrel 6 Mar 138 7 Apr 480 Merlin 6 Mar 6 12 Apr & 7 May 39 Peregrine Falcon 10 Mar 3 5 & 30 Apr; 5 & 17 May 26 Total, inc. unid. 62,992 The Kingbird 200% September; 58 (3) 255 WHISTLING-DUCKS - VULTURES Greater White-fronted Goose: arr 1 BB 6 Mar (DT); 1 BB 14 Mar (DT); 1 H 18 Mar (ST); 1 GE 22 Mar (JK). Snow Goose: max 3000 S 5 Apr (TL); last 1 EL 7 May (mob). ROSS’S GOOSE: 1 BB/H 17 Mar (DT, et al.y, 1 TE 17Mar(WS). Canada Goose: max 10,500 BB 1 APR (DT). Cackling Goose: total 34 Mar; 1 HB 1 Apr (WS); 1-2 E 1-15 Apr (WS). Brant: 4 K 9 Mar (BB),very early or wandering after wintering nearby. Trumpeter Swan: 1 Walworth, WAYN 16 May (R&SS); 1-4 S May. Tundra Swan: max 460 GE 22 Mar (JK); last HB 9 Apr. Eurasian Wigeon: 1 CL 19 Mar (RMc, RO’H, et al.y 1 S 30 Mar (TL, TJ); 1 S 13-14 Apr (FM, TL). Am. Wigeon: max 45 BB 1 Apr. N. Pintail: max 535 BB 26 Mar (DT), last S 20 Apr. Green-winged Teal: max 500 GE 22 Mar (JK). Canvasback: max 150 BB 15 Mar (DT, GL); last 16 BB 12 Apr. Ring-necked Duck: max 185 BBl Apr (DT); last 1 G 15 May. Greater Scaup: last 1 BB 4 May (SFO). Lesser Scaup: max 285 BB 5 Apr (DT). Surf Scoter: max 6 HB 19 Apr. White-winged Scoter: max 96 HB 9 Apr (WS). Black Scoter: max 5 HB 10,16 Apr; last 3 HB 21 May(RS). Long-tailed Duck: max 433 HB 5 May (RS, WS). Bufflehead; max 45 BB 16 Apr (DT); last 2 BB 29 May (RK). Com. Goldeneye: last 2 BB 14 May (DT). Barrow’s Goldeneye: 1 PB 1-7 Mar (mob). Red-breasted Merganser: max 3695 HB 18 Apr (RS). Ruddy Duck: last 1 BB 5 May (KG, AT). Wild Turkey: max 50-60 T Brighton, MONR 20-26 Apr. Red-throated Loon: 180 HB 27 Mar (WS), large peak for Mar; max 249 HB 5 May (RS, WS); 122 HB 21 May (WS, RS), good total late in season. PACIFIC LOON: 1 ad off Webster Park 23 May (RS). 256 Com. Loon: max 136 HB 5 May (RS, WS), low max. Horned Grebe: max 873 WL 27 Mar (RS), State record high inland; last 1 HB 3 May. Red-necked Grebe: max 1433 WL 27 Mar (RS); last 1 BB 5 May. Double-crested Cormorant: max 470 BB 7 May (DT). Least Bittern: arr 1 G 19 May (GL), late. Great Egret: arr G 26-28 Mar (JB). Black-crowned Night-Heron: arr IB 16-17 Mar (ST, GP). BLACK VULTURE: 1 G 5 Apr (DT); 1 T Ontario, WAYN 6 Apr (JW); 1 BB 9 Apr (DT, MT); 1 EL 7 May (KS, mob). Turkey Vulture: max 3279 BB 1 Apr (DT); total 18656 BB season (DT), State record total for hawkwatch. HAWKS - ALCIDS Osprey: 8 BB 31 Mar (DT, et al), many for so early; max 60 BB 3 May (DT). Bald Eagle: max 34 BB 26 May (DT), low. N. Harrier; max 141 BB 9 Apr (DT). Sharp-shinned Hawk; max 1266 BB 3 May (DT). Cooper’s Hawk: max 87 BB 1 Apr (DT). N. Goshawk; 1 Canadice, LIVI24 May (SG). Red-shouldered Hawk: arrBB 15 Mar; last 1 G 13May(DT). Broad-winged Hawk: max 9570 BB 20 Apr (DT). SWAINSON’S HAWK; I imm BB 14 May (DT), light morph. Red-tailed Hawk: max 748 BB 9 Apr. Rough-legged Hawk: max 78 BB 1 Apr (DT); last 1 BB 26 May (DN). Golden Eagle: arr BB 11 Mar (DT); total 35 BB Apr (DT). Am. Kestrel: max 138 BB 7 Apr (DT). Merlin: total 22 BB Apr (DT); total 25 sev 1- 26 May (sev). Peregrine Falcon: total 13 BB Apr; total 15 BB 1-26 May. Sandhill Crane: arr BB 6 Mar (DT); total 16 BB 6-17 Mar; 2 T Huron, WAYN 22 Mar (RBA); 2 S 30 Mar (TJ, SB); total 16 BB Apr; total 6 sev Apr (mob); total 8 BB 1-26 May; 2ad, 2yg S 1-31 May; 6 T Brighton, MONR 13 May (DS); 1 Bergen, GENE 15 May (MC). Am. Golden-Plover: arr 1 BB 3 May (DT), rare in spring. Semipalmated Plover: max 17 HB 31 May. The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) Killdeer: max 287 BB 1 Apr (DT), State record high for spring. Greater Yellowlegs: max 40 S 13 Apr. Solitary Sandpiper: last 1 MP 25 May. Spotted Sandpiper: max 7 HB 14 May, low. Upland Sandpiper: arr 1 HB 21 Apr; 1 HB 27 Apr. Whimbrel: arr 3 HB 31 May (DT, WS). Ruddy Turnstone: arr 3 HB 17 May (WS). Semipalmated Sandpiper: max 2258 HB 14 May (DT, WS), State record high inland. Least Sandpiper: max 62 HB 27 May (RS). White-rumped Sandpiper: arr 1 HP 27 May, late arr. Dunlin: arr 10 E 11 Apr (DT) max 73 HB 31 May (DT, WS). Purple Sandpiper: arr 1 HB 31 May (DT), 4“* regional spring record. Short-billed Dowitcher: arr 1 BB 7 May. LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER: Hamlin 4 May (ST), 7* regional spring record. FRANKLIN’S GULL: HB 26 May (CW, JBa, RS). Little Gull: arr BB 26 Mar (DT); 1 HB 27 Mar (WS); total 6 HB, DE Apr (DT, RS, WS). Bonaparte’s Gull: max 519 HB 9 Apr (WS, RS). Thayer’s Gull: 1 BB 11 Mar (DT). Iceland Gull; lad HB 8 Apr; 1 ad HB 16 Apr; 1 imm HB 11 May (WS). Lesser Black-backed Gull: 1 PE 19 Mar (MT); 1 ad 11 May HB (WS); 1 2^^ winter CH 23 May (GC); 1 3^'^ winter CH 23 May (GC). Glaucous Gull: 1 Byron, GENE 4 Apr (MC). Caspian Tern: max 57 HB 25 Apr. Com. Tern: max 23 BB 15 May. Forster’s Tern: arr 2 HB 7 May (RS); 1 HB 27 May (RS). Black Tern; arr 5 BB 3 May (WS, DT). PIGEONS - WOODPECKERS Yellow-billed Cuckoo: arr 1 Twin Cedars Environmental Area, LIVI 14 May (MW). Long-eared Owl: arr 2 M 22 Mar; total 21 M Apr (MF). N. SaW-whet Owl: total 8 M Mar (mob); 40+b M Apr (MF, DG). Com. Nighthawk: arr 1 T Penfield, MONR 11 May (GP); max 510 WL 28 May (GL, KS, DT), State record high for spring; 349 WL 29 May (GL, KS, DT). Whip-poor-will: arr 2 M 25 Apr (DT); 1 W 6- 31 May(JBo,NP). Chimney Swift: max 35 BB 7, 14 May. The Kingbird 200S September; 58 (3) Ruby-throated Hummingbird: arr lb M 27 Apr (BBBO), tied record early; max 19b M 24 May (BBBO). N. Flicker: max 65 BB 12 Apr (DT). FLYCATCHERS - WAXWINGS Olive-sided Flycatcher: arr Badgerow Park 26 May (RMa,KS) & HB 26 May (RS). E. Wood- Pewee: max 4b M 26 May (BBBO), low. Yellow- bellied Fiycatcher: arr lb M 17 May; max 28b M 27 May (BBBO). Least Flycatcher: max 10b M 20 May. Great Crested Flycatcher: arr 1 BB, W 26 Apr (DT, D&DT), tied record early; max 62 BB 14 may (DT). E. Kingbird: max 74 BB 14 May (DT). N. Shrike: last 1 imm S 5 Apr. White-eyed Vireo: arr 1 IB 14 May (BZ), only report. Blue-headed Vireo: arr 2 CH 17 Apr (JG). Philadelphia Vireo: arr 1 G 14 May. Blue Jay: max 5190 BB 14 May (DT), high. Fish Crow: 1 G 14 Apr (KG); 1 HP 25 Apr (DT). Com. Raven: 1 BB 25, 30 Mar (DT); 1 W 6 Apr (R&SS); 2 BB 16 Apr (DT); 3 BB 17 Apr (DT); total 6 sev May ( sev). Horned Lark: max 1460 BB 1 Apr (DT), very high. N. Rough-winged Swallow: 2400 BB 7 May (DT); max 23,000 HB 21 May (RS, WS); 5670 HB 22 May (RS); State record high counts. Bank Swallow: 3200 BB 7 May (DT); max 17,000 HB 21 May (RS, WS); 5670 HB 22 May (RS); high counts. Barn Swallow: 420 BB 7 May (DT); max 2000 HB 21 May (WS, RS); 1260 HB 22 May (RS); good counts. Marsh Wren: arr 6 S 26 Apr (TL). Ruby-crowned Kinglet: max 57b M 2 May (BBBO); last lb M 28 May (BBBO). E. Bluebird: max 180 BB 14 May (DT). Gray-cheeked Thrush: arr 2b M 26 May, late. Swainson’s Thrush: max 25b M 26 May (BBBO). Am. Robin: max 86,600 BB 1 Apr (DT), State record high count. Eur. Starling: max 12,000 BB 1 Apr (DT). Am. Pipit: arrBB 21 Mar; 1880 BB 3 May (DT); max 2930 BB 7 May (DT), very high count. Cedar Waxwing: max 4375 HB 31 May (DT, WS). 257 WARBLERS Blue-winged Warbler: arr 1, lb GE, M 26 Apr (R&SS, BBBO), reg. record early. Golden-winged Warbier: arr 1 PE 2 May (B&MAC). “Brewster’s” Warbler: 1 Victor, MONR 22 May (SD, JG); 1 G 20 May (BB). Tennessee Warbler: last 1 G 31 May. Orange-crowned Warbler: total 12 sev locations 1-24 May. Nashville Warbler: arr Portage, LIVI 19 Apr (AW), ties record early; max 15 BB 14 May. Yellow Warbler: max 1175 BB 14 May (DT), State record high count. Magnolia Warbler: max 63b M 20 May (BBBO). Cape May Warbler: max 17 BB 14 May (DT); last 1 HB 27 May (R&SS). Black-throated Blue Warbler: max 20b M 14 May (BBBO). Yellow-rumped Warbler: arr 4 HB 16 Apr, late; max 825 BB 14 May, good count. Black-throated Green Warbler: max 25 BB 14 May (DT). YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER: Im Highland Park, R 30 Apr, 1 May (KH, et al), see Fig. B, p. 260. Prairie Warbler: arr 1 BB 4 May (DT). Palm Warbler: max 60+ DE 25 Apr (NP); last 1 HB 26 May. Blackpoll Warbler: max 27b M 26 May (BBBO). Cerulean Warbler: arr 1 sev 3 May (sev). Black-and-white Warbler: max 40 BB 14 May (DT). Am. Redstart: max 65 BB 14 May (DT). Prothonotary Warbler: 1 Churchville, MONR 17 May (FA). Worm-eating Warbler: 1 BB 5 May (KG); 1 G 17 May (GL); 1 G 31 May (KG). Ovenbird: arr 1 M 26 Apr (GC, DS), ties record early. Louisiana Waterthrush: arr 2 LW 16 Apr (CS). Hooded Warbler: arr 1 W 3 May (D&DT). TANAGERS - WEAVERS Scarlet Tanager: max 172 BB 14 May (DT), State record high. Am. Tree Sparrow: last 2 Rush, MONR 23 Apr. 258 Clay-colored Sparrow: arr 1 T Henrietta, MONR 1 May (WR); 1 GE 3-31 May (JK); 2 K 26 May (JBa, CW). Field Sparrow: arr 1 HB 9 Apr. Grasshopper Sparrow: arr 2 NR 26 Apr. NELSON’S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW: 1 HP 25 May (DT), 10th reg. spring record. Fox Sparrow: last lb M 23 Apr. Swamp Sparrow: arr 2 BB 1 Apr. White-throated Sparrow: last 1 sev locations 26 May. Lapland Longspur: max 268 BB 1 Apr (DT); 267 BB 6 Apr (DT); 134 BB 8 Apr (DT); 174 BB 9 Apr (DT); last 1 T Bloomfield 27 Apr (JG). Snow Bunting: max 500 Avon, LIVI 14 Mar (JK); last 2 BB 12 Apr. Rose-breasted Grosbeak: max 122 BB 14 may (DT). Indigo Bunting: If G 1-19 Apr (GL), continuation of winter bird; max 118 BB 14 May (DT), State record high. Dickcissel: arr 1 G 23 Apr (KG); 1 BB 14 May (DT); 1 HB 26 May (RS). Bobolink: max 378 BB 14 May (DT). Red-winged Blackbird: max 16,650 BB 1 Apr (DT). E. Meadowlark: arr 1 Conesus, LIVI 11 Mar. WESTERN MEADOWLARK: 1 singing IC 13 Apr (ST). Rusty Blackbird: arr 60 BB 31 Mar (m ob); last lbM23 May (BBBO).. Com. Grackle: max 3700 BB 1 Apr. Brown-beaded Cowbird: max 2600 BB 1 Apr (DT). Orchard Oriole: arr 1 BB 26 Apr (DT, DS); max 12 BB 14 May (DT). Baltimore Oriole: max 2962 BB 14 May (DT), State record high. Pine Grosbeak: last BB 17 Mar. Red Crossbill: 5 HB 7 Apr (DD, RS). Com. Redpoll: max 410 BB 6 Apr (DT); 371 BB 7 Apr (DT); last 2 DE 2 May (KG). Pine Siskin: max 110 BB 14 May (DT). Am. Goldfinch: max 1190 BB 14 May (DT), good count. Evening Grosbeak: 2 BB 9 Apr (DT); 3 G 23 Apr (KG); 1 PA 26 Apr (GC, DS); 1 W 6 May (D&DT); 1 ICW 7 May (RS). The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) PHOTO GALLERY SPRING 2008 Figure A, Great Gray Owl, Potsdam, St. Lawrence Co., 24 Mar 2008, copyright Jeff Bolsingcr. (See p. 280). The Kingbird September; 58 (3) 259 Figure B, Top: Western Tanager, Central Park, New York Co., 24 Mar 2008, copyright Lloyd Spitalnik, (See p. 298). Bottom; Yellow-throated Warbler, Highland Park, Monroe Co., ] May 2008, copyright Dominic Sherony, 260 The Kingbird2m)& September; 58 (3) Figure C. Orchard Oriole, Centra) Park, New York Co., 5 May 2008, copyright Lloyd Spitalnik. The Kingbird September; 58 (3) 26! Figure D, Clockwise from top left; ‘Black’ Brant, Wolfe’s Pond Park, Richmond Co., 6 Apr 2008; Eared Grebe, Cedar Beach, Suffolk Co., 16 Mar 2008; Short-cared Owl, Calverton, Suffolk Co., copyright Jim Osterlund; Common Eider nest with eggs. South Dumpling Island, Suffolk Co,, 15 May 2008, copyright Glenn Williams (See p. 233); Mi.ssissippi Kite, Bashakill WMA, Sullivan Co., 25 May 2008, copyright Peter Post. 262 The Kingbird September; 58 (3) REGION 3 - FINGER LAKES Tom Johnson 150 Triphammer Rd. Ithaca NY 14850 tbj4@cornell.edu The weather this quarter was unexceptional. The only major climate metric that was unusual was that the average temperature for April was 6 degrees warmer than usual, at 49.6°F. Average temperature and precipitation for the rest of the quarter were normal. As usual, the waterfowl diversity and numbers in the Region were rather impressive. Greater White-fronted Goose was first found by Ann Mitchell and Susan Danskin on 2 March at Sheldrake. Another Greater White-fronted Goose was seen in flight over Ithaca by Tom Johnson with 56,200 Snow Geese, 50,900 Canada Geese, and 9 Cackling Geese on 6 March. The next day, 7 March, perhaps some of the same geese were piled in at Mud Lock, where Mike Harvey and Tom Johnson found 110,000 Snow Goose, 2 Ross’s Goose, 4 Cackling Goose, and a rarely noted dark morph Snow x Ross’s Goose hybrid. Goose migration continued to be noted over Cornell University 11 March, when Harvey saw a Cackling and probable Ross’s Goose in flight. Cackling Goose, well-reported this season, was last found 27 April near Seneca Falls by Harvey, Johnson, and Jay McGowan. Brant were reported twice, with 18 at Myers Point, Lansing and 95 there on 22 May. Harvey and Johnson also found a male Eurasian Wigeon that stayed at Cayuga Lake SP 7-9 March, one of four reported. Others included one in Ithaca on 12 March found by Kevin McGowan, one at Montezuma NWR 29-30 March found by Shawn Billerman, and another at Montezuma NWR on 20 May. A Green-winged “Eurasian” Teal was viewed on 4 May at Montezuma NWR by Gary Chapin. J. McGowan and Johnson photographed a probable male Northern Pintail x Gadwall hybrid at Montezuma NWR on 30 March. Merlins returned once again to Ithaca, with at least two pairs in evidence 5 April. Numerous Golden Eagles were found on spring migration. The last was seen on 27 April by Sarah Fern Striffler. Shorebird reports were sparse this season, possibly due to minimal habitat available at Montezuma NWR. Small numbers of shorebirds appeared at Myers Point in Lansing, with Ruddy Turnstones, Dunlin, and Short-billed Dowitcher being the most impressive. Two Red-necked Phalaropes at Montezuma NWR on 22 May found by Chris Wood and two Wilson’s Phalaropes in Ithaca found by John Greenly were probably the shorebird highlights of the season. Gulls were well-watched through the beginning of the season in Ithaca. The third cycle Slaty-backed Gull found last season returned after a 10 day absence to the Cornell compost piles in Dryden on 5 March, noted by Harvey and Johnson, along with the last Glaucous Gull of the season. Iceland Gull remained until at least 30 March. Lesser Black-backed Gulls are still increasing in the The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) 263 Finger Lakes. The variety of age classes reported into April suggests a high degree of turnover in these migrant gulls. Rarely reported away from Cayuga Lake, Lesser Black-backed Gull was found 9 March at Preble, Cortland Co. by Mickey Scilingo. A Little Gull was nicely photographed 22 May at Union Springs by Wood. Most unusual on Cayuga Lake, a one-day Least Tern was reported 12 April at Mud Lock by Danskin, Bob McGuire, and Hurtado. Owl reports this season were typical, highlighted by a Long-eared Owl found in Aurora by Fred Bertram on 27 March. Two Whip-poor-wills were found this season - one sang for J. McGowan at Beam Hill, Dryden on 12 May, and another was heard 26 May on Hanshaw Rd. in Ithaca by Candace Cornell. Flycatchers were well-represented this season, with all regularly occurring species recorded. Notable was the effort of Chris Tessaglia-Hymes and Pedro Fernandes to track down all of these species on a single day on 24 May, highlighted by an Olive-sided Flycatcher in the Ithaca Hawthorne Orchards and an Acadian Flycatcher in Lansingville. Acadian Flycatcher made a good showing overall with 4 reports. A Bohemian Waxwing continued to play hide- and-seek with birders into this season in Ithaea, where it was last seen on 18 March by Nick Sly on the Cornell University campus. Many local birders considered this spring’s warbler migration to be very lackluster, with low numbers and no large concentrations of birds. Specifically concerning was the relative dearth of some of the boreal warbler species; only 4 Cape May and 3 Bay-breasted warblers were reported on the Cayugabirds list serve during the season. Mark Chao found a hybrid Blue-winged x Golden¬ winged Warbler at Monkey Run, Ithaca on 15 May. A confiding Clay-colored Sparrow fed on the Agricultural and Life Sciences Quad at Cornell University from 29 April to 2 May. Others were at Cornell on 13 May and in Trumansburg from 15-16 May. At least 3 Grasshopper Sparrows were found around Ithaca. Finches continued to impress this quarter, with redpolls stealing the show. Flocks of Common Redpolls continued at feeders and in weedy fields until the last was reported on 24 April in West Danby at the feeders of Geo Kloppel. One possible Hoary Redpoll was reported on the Schuyler/ Chemung County border on 2 March by Mike Powers. Otherwise, Hoary Redpoll went unreported after a strong winter for the species in New York. Small numbers of Pine Siskins were reported sporadically from 16 April to 22 May. Evening Grosbeaks continued into mid-May. CONTRIBUTORS Jessie Barry, Fred Bertram, Shawn Billerman, G Bonnet, Mark Chao, Gary Chapin, Candace Cornell, Susan Danskin, Pedro Fernandes, John Greenly, Mike Harvey, Paul Hurtado, Marshall Iliff, Tom Johnson, Geo Kloppel, Gary Kohlenberg, Tim Lenz, B McAneny, Jay McGowan, Kevin McGowan, Bob McGuire, Ann Mitchell, Mike Powers, Marie Read, Tom Schulenberg, Mickey Scilingo, Glenn Seeholzer, Nick Sly, Sarah Fern Striffler, Chris Tessaglia- Hymes, Brad Walker, Chris Wood, Matt Young. 264 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) ABBREVIATIONS BH - Beam Hill TOMP; CU - Cornell University TOMP; CLSP - Cayuga Lake State Park SENE; GREF - George Road Flooded Field TOMP; MNWR - Montezuma NWR; MtPl - Mt. Pleasant TOMP; MuL - Mud Lock CAYU; MyPt - Myers Pt; StP - Stewart P TOMP; TBRG - Trumansburg. WHISTLING-DUCKS - VULTURES GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE: arr Sheldrake 2 Mar (AM, SD); last CU 6 Mar (TJ). Snow Goose: 56,200 CU 6 Mar (TJ); max 110,000 MuL 7 Mar (MH, TJ). ROSS'S GOOSE: max 2 MuL 7 Mar (MH, TJ). ROSS’S X SNOW GOOSE dark morph: ML 7 Mar (MH, TJ), very rare. CACKLING GOOSE: 9 CU 6 Mar (T Johnson); 4 ML 7 Mar (MH, TJ); CU 11 Mar (MH); last Seneca Falls 27 Apr, late. Canada Goose: max 50,900 6 Mar (TJ), high. Brant: arr 18 MyPt 15 May; max & last 95 MyPt 22 May. EURASIAN WIGEON: arr CLSP 7-9 Mar (TJ, MH); Ithaca 12 Mar (KM); MNWR 29-30 Mar (SB, et al.); last MNWR 20 May. N.Pintail x Gadwall: m MNWR 30 Mar (JM, TJ), probable hybrid of these species, ph. “EURASIAN” GREEN-WINGED TEAL: MNWR 4 May (GC). Canvasback: last MNWR 18 May. Lesser Scaup: last MNWR 31 May. White-winged Scoter: arr 2 Sheldrake 2 Mar. Long-tailed Duck: arr MyPt 4 Mar (BM); last MuL 17 Apr (TL, CW). HAWKS - ALCIDS Broad-winged Hawk: arr BH 11 Apr (JM). Golden Eagle: max 4 MtPl 5 Mar (TJ, MH); last 27 Apr (SFS). Merlin: 2 pairs Ithaca; arr 5 Apr thru (KM, GK), nesting. Upland Sandpiper: arr Seneca Falls 19 Apr (JM, TJ). Ruddy Turnstone: arr MyPt 20 May (CW). Dunlin: arr GRFF 8 Apr (KM), early. Short-billed Dowitcher: 1 MyPt 23 May (BM). Wilson’s Phalarope: 2 Ithaca 31 May (JG). Red-necked Phalarope: 2 MNWR 22May (CW). Iceland Gull: last StP 30 Mar (PH). Lesser Black-backed Gull: Preble 9 Mar (MS); max 2 StP 19 Mar; last Aurora Bay CAYU 15 Apr. Glaucous Gull: Stevenson Road Compost Piles TOMP 5 Mar (TJ, MH). SLATY-BACKED GULL: Dryden compost piles thru 5 Mar (TJ, MH). LITTLE GULL: Union Springs 22 May (CW), ph. LEAST TERN: MuL 12 Apr (SD, PH, BM), 6“^ Reg record. PIGEONS - WOODPECKERS Long-eared Owl: Aurora 27 Mar (FB). WHIP-POOR-WILL: arr Dryden 12 May (JM); Ithaca 26 May (CC). FLYCATCHERS - WAXWINGS Olive-sided Flycatcher: Ithaca 24 May (CT- H, PF). Yellow-bellied Flycatcher: arr Ithaca 24 May Acadian Flycatcher: arr Lansing 18 May (MM); 4 rep, good showing. Alder Flycatcher: arr Dryden 17 May. BOHEMIAN WAXWING: last CU 18 Mar (NS). WARBLERS Blue-winged x Golden-winged Warbler (hybrid): Ithaca 15 May (MC). TANAGERS - WEAVERS CLAY-COLORED SPARROW: CU 29 Apr- 2 May (BW); CU 13 May (GS); TBRG 15-16 May (GB). Grasshopper Sparrow: arr Ithaca 27 Apr (TJ, MH). Com. Redpoll: last West Danby 24 Apr (GK). Pine Siskin: arr Dryden 16 Apr; last Freeville 22 May (MR). Evening Grosbeak: last TBRG 4 May (BM). The Kingbird 200S September; 58 (3) 265 REGION 4 - SUSQUEHANNA Matthew A. Young Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Wood Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 may6@cornell.edu Jon Weeks 17 Barbara Ave. Binghamton NY 13903 winterweeks1221@yahoo.com March started out sunny and warm, then freezing rain occurred on the and 4*^, but by month’s end temperatures were back in the fifties. Mid-month brought the typical flurries, rain, and wind, with temperatures back in the fifties through the end of the month. The average temperature was 31.6°F, about 1° below normal, and precipitation almost doubled the normal with 6.32" total. April was drier than normal, with a warm spell during 3"^^^ week peaking at a high of 83° on the 19*. April’s average temperature was 49.7°, 5.6° above normal, with 2.02" of rain. Temperatures made a slow climb in May, but ended with the average temperature 3.3° lower than normal. Precipitation was 2.57", an inch below normal. The first goose flight occurred on 3 March and large flights occurred on 5, 14, 15, and 24 March. Snow Geese were well reported in these flights. Additionally, a Cackling Goose was documented on 14 March along Rte 12A in Chenango. Other noteworthy waterfowl reports include: Long-tailed Duck, Ruddy Duck, and Ruddy Shelduck, a likely exotic/escape. The best bird for the season was an immature Anhinga soaring for 25 minutes and seen well along the town line of Scott and Homer on 25 May. Two reports of Black-crowned Night-Heron were noteworthy. A Black Vulture, an increasing bird in upstate NY, was observed at Finch Haven Nature Center on 25 March. How long will it be before this vulture becomes established in eentral parts of upstate NY? Bald Eagles were regularly reported throughout the Region. Reports continue to be on the increase, with a breeding pair somewhere in the vicinity of Whitney Point Reservoir and a lingering pair at the south end of Skaneateles Lake into April. Merlin pairs continue to be recorded with increasing frequency, with pairs reported from Binghamton, Cortland (nest found), Oneonta, and Cooperstown. Shorebird highlights were Black-bellied Plover and a Wilson’s Phalarope. This same day a very warm southerly breeze developed and 3 different Mississippi Kites were also reported in New York, perhaps including the birds that nested in New Hampshire and Connecticut—or possibly at some as yet undiscovered location in New York? Common Tern and Caspian Tern were good finds for the Region as well. Short-eared and Long-eared owl sightings are always a welcome addition. The Arnold Road grassland area harbored several Rough-legged 266 The Kingbird 200S September; 58 (3) Hawks, a few Northern Harriers, and the above-mentioned Short-eared Owls, as many as 2-3 Short-eared Owls! An Acadian Flycatcher was heard at the southeast end of Skaneateles Lake, which is a known nesting location for this Regional rarity. There were seven Northern Shrike reports, with the last in early April. Common Ravens continue to increase as breeders throughout the area; many were seen/heard in various state forests and parks. Additionally, a large group of 30+ Common Ravens can often be seen at the dump in Pharsalia through much of the year. Once again, Swainson’s Thrushes were heard on nesting grounds in late May in the Pharsalia area. Other than in Delaware County along the edges of the Catskills, the Pharsalia area is the only place in Region 4 where Swainson’s Thrushes can be found nesting. Many typically more northern breeding warblers can also be regularly heard in the Pharsalia area, along with Pine Siskins, both crossbills. Northern Goshawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Common Raven, and other northern specialties such as White-throated Sparrows. This year paled in comparison with last year’s diversity of rare warblers, with Prothonotary Warbler being the only rare one noted for the Region. However, the equally rare hybrid “Lawrence’s” Warbler was also noted. Cerulean Warblers were again observed on territory at the south end of Skaneateles Lake. Birds with a more southern affinity, such as Red-bellied Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, and Northern Cardinal, appear to be still increasing in the area. Although most reports are still from river valleys, these species also appear to now be reported more commonly above 1500 ft. There was an impressive invasion of many of the winter finches this year. Particularly noteworthy were the invasions of Common Redpoll and Pine Grosbeak, the latter invading for the first time in numbers since 2001-02. Pine Grosbeaks lingered into at least early March, but many of the other finches were noted into mid April. Additionally, a flock of ~15 Type 4 Red Crossbills were heard several times at Morgan Hill State Forest in Truxton through at least 20* March (MY). Pine Siskins were observed in a small return flight in April and Common Redpolls were seen in several large flocks numbering over 100 throughout much of the area at least into early April. In these larger flocks 1-2 Hoary Redpolls were occasionally observed as were a few of the larger subspecies of the Common Redpoll, Carduelis Jlammea rostrata aka “Greater” Redpoll. Medium to fairly large sized flocks, by today’s standards, of 40-80 Evening Grosbeaks were reported from Northwest Comers, McDonough, Lincklaen, Truxton, and Beaver Meadows in Chenango and Cortland counties through April. Smaller Evening Grosbeak flocks were also reported from Otsego and Delaware counties. This was the best showing for Evening Grosbeaks since the winter of 2001-02, but still nothing in comparison with the period of the mid 70s to early 90s. The Kingbird 2^0^ September; 58 (3) 267 CONTRIBUTORS Richard Andrus, Cutler & Jeanette Baldwin, Dianne Benko, Lois Bingley, Peter Blue, John Birkett, Bruce Bozdos, Steve Broyles Peg Burnett, Ryan Butryn, Gerianne Carillo, Eleanor Carson, Rod Carter, Germaine Connolly, Cortland- Lime Hollow Bird Club, Kay Crane, Mary Ann Cuff, Fran Czochara, Marty & MaryAnn Cuff, Larry Dake, Dolores & Eve Daniels, John Davis, Marilyn Davis, Toni Dean, Ed Dewar, Mary Diegert, Bob Donnelly, Bruce & Janice Downie, Jean M. Dorman, Helen Eno, Tom Fernandez, Margaret Ferranti, Finch Hollow Nature Center Staff, Fred Fries, John & Gerta Fritz, Sue Garing, Doug Gochfeld, Lisa Gom, Bob Grajewski, Esther Graves, Dave Green, Becky Gretton, Bob Grosek, Steve Hall, Elva Hawken, Erin Hewett, Dylan Horvath, Jim Hoteling, Dorian Huneke, Spencer Hunt, Michael Jordan, Nick Kaldis, Paul Kalka, Doug & Teresa Kibbe, Sara Kinch, Hugh Kingery, Eugene Kirch, Gail Kirch, Diane Krein, Sharon Krotzer, Bill Kuk, Victor Lamoureux, Tricia Larson, Tom Laskowski, Arthur Levy, Roger Luther, Harriet Marsi, Andy Mason, JoAnne Mattucci, David McCartt, ,Jim McKenna, Carole McQuiston, Evelyn & George Mead, Marji Miller Tom Moore, Naturalists’ Club of Broome County (NCBC), Sandy Olshefski, Marilyn Packer, Sandy Perry, Marie Petuh, John Quain, Don Quataert, Bill Ralston, Jessie Ravage, Alice & Joe Richardson, Jo Ann & Tom Salo, Paul Scharf, Charles Scheim, Julian Shepherd, Julie Siler, Arnold Talentino, Mark Tannis, Tom Tasber & family, Tioga Bird Club, Jack Thompson, Jan Trzeciak, Tanna Ulmer, George Wade, Weed Walkers, Dan Watkins, Donald & Joanne Weber, Joel Weeks, Jon Weeks, Michelle Weeks, Carole Westerman, Anne Whitaker, Sue & Tom Whitney, Donald A. Windsor, Colleen & Paul Wolpert, Rich Youket, Matt Young. ABBREVIATIONS AqP - Aquaterra Park, BROO; BCC - Binghamton Country Club; BHL - Buck Horn Lake OTSE; BPd - Boland Pond; BUNP - Binghamton University Nature Preserve; CVSP - Chenango Valley State Park; FHNC - Finch Hollow Nature Center; GP - Greenwood Park, BROO; LHNC - Lime Hollow Nature Center; ML - Mirror Lake, TIOG; NuH - Nuthatch Hollow, BROO; OtL - Otsego Lake, OTSE; PharsWMA - Pharsalia Wildlife Management Area; RivR - River Rd., Endwell BROO; SkanL - Skaneateles Lake; UL - Upper Lisle; WCM - West Comers Marsh BROO; WPR - Whitney Point Reservoir, BROO. WHISTLING-DUCKS - VULTURES Snow Goose: arr BROO 3 Mar; flights BROO 3, 5, 15, 24 Mar; max 600 CHEN 6 Mar. CACKLING GOOSE: one Rte 12A Chen 14 Mar (DG). Canada Goose: max 2000+ BPd 14 Mar. Mute Swan: OTSE 30 Mar, only report. Wood Duck: arr 2 Bpd 4 Mar; max 11 BUNP 24 Mar. Gadwall: 4 Lisle BROO 2 Mar. Am. Wigeon: arr 3 HP 4 Mar; max 37 Bpd 3 Apr; last 2 Bpd 16 Apr. Am. Black Duck: max 35 Bpd 2 Mar; last 2 Bpd 15 Apr, numerous until April. 268 The Kingbird 200^ September; 58 (3) Blue-winged Teal: arr RR 26 Mar; last 2 Johnson City BROO 6 May; 11 reports 1-3 individuals BROO, sometimes missed. N. Shoveler: arr Bpd 20 Mar; last 3 BUNP 29 Apr; 4 reports BROO. N. Pintail: 4 Bpd 4 Mar; max 25 Chenango BROO 11 Mar; last UL 2 Apr. Green-winged Teal: 2 Chenango BROO 4 Mar; max 55 Bpd 29 Mar; last Bpd 18 Apr. Canvasback: arr RR 4 Mar; last Bpd 22 Mar, uncommon; 16 reports BROO. Redhead: max 7 HP 4, 12 Mar; last 2 Bpd 12 Mar; 11 reports BROO. Ring-necked Duck: max 80 HP 25 Mar; last UL 30 Apr. Greater Scaup: Bpd 5 Mar; last 5 HP 31 Mar; 11 reports BROO. scaup species: plus 21 reports. Lesser Scaup: Bpd 19 Mar; last 7 SusV 13 Apr; 5 reports BROO. Long-tailed Duck: 5 RR 12 Mar (WW), only report. Bufflehead: max 15 HP 31 Mar, 2 Apr; last HP 13 Apr. Com. Goldeneye: 5 RR 18 Mar; 5 HP 19 Mar, only reports. Hooded Merganser: max 22 WCM 5 Mar; many reports. Ruddy Duck: OtsP 21 Mar; 2 RR 11 Apr; SusV 28 Apr, only reports. RUDDY SHELDUCK: UL 3, 5 Apr; GnwP 23 Apr, exotic/escapee, same bird both dates, ph. Ring-necked Pheasant: only 2 reports. Wild Turkey: max 30 Caldwell Hill Lisle 16 Mar; several displaying throughout Apr. Com. Loon: only 2 reports. Pied-billed Grebe: pair each Hillcrest Pits & BPdApr. Horned Grebe: max & last 3 Hillcrest Pits 11 Apr. Double-crested Cormorant: arr Hillcrest Pits 21 Mar; max 14 Hillcrest Pits 14 Apr. ANHINGA: one Homer/Scott CORT 25 May (MY), 1st Reg. record, 3"'* to 5‘^ State record, if accepted and dependent on 2 others in review. BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON: East Homer CORT 15 Apr, imm Oxford CHEN 6 May; rare. BLACK VULTURE: FHNC 25 Mar (TT), only report, rare. Turkey Vulture: arr Maine BROO 1 Mar; max 35-39 Vestal BROO 15 Mar. The Kingbird 200S September; 58 (3) HAWKS - ALCIDS Osprey: arr UL 5 Apr; nesting near Bainbridge CHEN? Bald Eagle: 2+ dozen reports including “new” possible nesting pair south end Skan Lake CORT Apr. N. Harrier: 18 reports; only a few reports May. N. Goshawk: pair nesting Heiberg SUNY-ESF Forest CORT Apr; 5 reports. Red-shouldered Hawk: arr Maine BROO 15 Mar, pair “courting” Greenwood Park BROO 23 Apr; territorial birds CHEN Apr. Broad-winged Hawk: arr BROO 12 Apr. Rough-legged Hawk: max 7 Arnold Rd Lisle BROO 16 Mar; last BROO 29 Mar, Golden Eagle: Glen Aubrey BROO 12 Mar; 3 other reports BROO. Am. Kestrel: few wintering lingerers; influx of migrants end Mar. Merlin: pairs Binghamton, Cortland, Oneonta, Cooperstown Apr; continues to expand. Peregrine Falcon: pair Binghamton copulating 24 Mar; Binghamton young hatched 13 May. Virginia Rail: arr BPd 14 Apr, reported BUNP and Vestal Rail Trail. Sora: 1 Lime Hollow CORT 5 May; one Vestal Rail Trail 26 May. Com. Moorhen: Weaver Lake OTSE May. Am. Coot: 3 reports, 2 BPd & 1 Hillcrest Pits. Black-bellied Plover: RR 26 May (DW), only report. Semipalmated Plover: SusV 7 May; 2-3 SusV 22 May; only reports. Killdeer: arr Chenango BROO 6 Mar; max 18 UL 30 Mar. Greater Yellowlegs; arr 3 UL 6 Apr; last 2 SusV 7 May; 8 reports. Lesser Yellowlegs: 6 Bpd 1 May; 2 SusV 7 May, only reports. Solitary Sandpiper: arr WCM 23 Apr; max 20 SusV 7 May. Spotted Sandpiper: arr 2 RR 23 Apr. Semipalmated Sandpiper: SusV 7 May; max 12 SusV 19 May; SusV 24 May, only reports. Least Sandpiper: SusV 29 Apr; max 25 SusV 20, 24 May; 8 reports. Wilson’s Snipe: arr Maine BROO 4 Apr; 9 reports. Am. Woodcock: arr 3 Greene CHEN 15 Mar; only 6 reports. WILSON’S PHALAROPE: ad m SusV 23 May (DW), mob & ph, rare event. Bonaparte’s Gull: 10 HP 12 Apr; 2 Bainbridge CHEN 12 Apr. 269 Herring Gull: last UL 30 Mar; 1 McDonough CHEN 4 May. Great Black-backed Gull: Vestal BROO 4 Mar; 3 reports BROO. Caspian Tern: Little York Lake CORT Apr 30. Com. Tern: HP 12 Apr; RR 21 May, only reports. PIGEONS - WOODPECKERS Black-billed Cuckoo: arr BUNP BROO 17 May. Yellow-billed Cuckoo: arr BROO 3 May. E. Screecb-Owl: several in agricultural river valleys. Barred Owl: largely confined to mesic forested hills and lowland forested swamps. LONG-EARED OWL: 1 Cummings Rd Union March, rare. Short-eared Owl: 2 Arnold Rd Lisle BROO 24 Mar, uncommon for Region. N. Saw-whet Owl: CORT Apr. Com. Nighthawk: arr Endicott BROO 28 May. Ruby-throated Hummingbird: arr BROO 28 Apr. Red-bellied Woodpecker: numerous reports along river valleys and towns <1500’; perhaps increasing. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: arr CHEN Mar 30; increasing rep after 8 Apr. N. Flicker: scarce in Mar along river valleys becoming increasingly common throughout Apr. FLYCATCHERS -WAXWINGS E. Wood-Pewee: arr CORT 22 May; increasing rep after May 28. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher: TIOG 20 May, only report ACADIAN FLYCATCHER: S end SkanL late May. Alder Flycatcher: arr FHNC TIOG 23 May; increasing rep after 24 May. Willow Flycatcher: arr UL 17 May; increasing rep after 24 May. Least Flycatcher: arr 27 Apr BPd. E. Phoebe: arr River Rd 29 Mar. Great-crested Flycatcher: arr Silvia Dr Union 13 May. E. Kingbird: arr Knapp Rd Nanticoke 16 Apr, very early; increasing rep after 5 May. N. Shrike: 7 scattered rep; last early April. Yellow-throated Vireo: arr Parsons Rd Chenango 3 May; increasing rep after 15 May. Blue-headed Vireo: arr Deyo Hill Rd 14 Apr, ties Reg. record early; increasing rep after 24 Apr. Warbling Vireo: arr Conklin 27 Apr; increasing rep after 1 May. Red-eyed Vireo: arr Port Dickinson Park 2 May. Fish Crow: rep of presumed breeders from Endwell, Bing, Owego, Vestal, & Union. Com. Raven: max 30 Pharsalia dump early Mar; widespread and increasing as a breeder and resident throughout wilder forested higher elevation (> 1500’) areas of Reg, particularly state pine plantations; also expanding into river valleys and nesting on towers and cliffs in Reg. Horned Lark: arr breeding subspecies flocks, then flocks breaking up in Mar; nesting May Newark Valley; max 60 Lisle 29 Mar. Purple Martin: arr TIOG May Tree Swallow: arr River Rd Endwell 16 Mar; “major numbers” River Rd Endwell 25 Mar. N. Rough-winged Swallow: arr Barker 22 Apr. Bank Swallow: arr BP 24 Apr. Cliff Swallow: arr Chenango Forks 15 May; new nesting colony w ~10 nests Preble CORT May. Barn Swallow: arr SusqR 13 Apr. Tufted Titmouse: increasing nester along many river valleys of Reg <1500’. Red-breasted Nuthatch: widespread throughout high elevation state forests. Brown Creeper: widespread scattered rep; birds migrating and heard thru Apr. Carolina Wren: 12 rep sev loc late Mar thru; nesting along many of the major river valleys in Reg and smaller ravines <1300ft; pair in Scott CORT thru year. House Wren: arr BUNP 20 Apr. Winter Wren: fairly common after mid Apr in state forests. Marsh Wren: bird “singing” BPd 7 Mar (DW). Golden-crowned Kinglet: scarce early Apr; increasing afterwards at high elevation spruce plantations. Ruby-crowned Kinglet: arr Grippen Park Apr 8; many rep after 19 Apr, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: arr UL 30 Apr; local afterwards along larger low elevation river valleys. E. Bluebird: more common in Mar than last year and increasingly common after Mar. Veery: arr end Apr TIOG; increasing reports after 15 May. Swainson’s Thrush: breeders returned to Phars WMA late May. 270 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) Hermit Thrush: arr Roundtop Park 11 Apr. Wood Thrush: arr BUNP 27 Apr; widespread 8 May thru. Am. Robin: “good” wintering numbers into Mar; max 450 Rt 12A 28 Mar. Gray Catbird: arr Union 1 May, late arrival. N. Mockingbird: “few” overwintering birds; migrants arrived April. Brown Thrasher: arrNanticoke 13 Apr; increasing rep late Apr. Am. Pipit: arr Rtl2A Chenango 12 Mar. Cedar Waxwing: decent numbers throughout Mar and slightly increasing afterwards. WARBLERS Blue-winged Warbler: arr Upper Reynolds Rd 27 Apr; widespread many reports. “LAWRENCE’S” WARBLER: arr Appalachin TIOG 7 May (CW). Tennessee Warbler; arr Bing 15 May; a number of reports. Nashville Warbler: arr CORT 30 Apr; many reports after 2 May. N. Parula: arr Conklin 14 May; 7 rep. Yellow Warbler: arr Greybark Ln 26 Apr; several early reports before 27 Apr. Chestnut-sided Warbler: arr Vestal 24 Apr, Magnolia Warbler: arr BUNP 3 May CAPE MAY WARBLER; 1 Chen TIOG 15 May; 3 rep. Black-throated Blue Warbler: arr Barker 30 Apr. Yellow-rumped Warbler: arr UL 3 Apr; increasing after 18 Apr. Black-throated Green Warbler: arr Vestal 27 Apr. Blackburnian Warbler: arr Preble CORT 20 Apr (MY), Reg. record early; increasing reports after 2 May. Pine Warbler: arr West Comers Marsh 3 Apr; breeding locations increasing. Prairie Warbler: arr Glen Aubrey 30 Apr; local and increasing breeder many locations of southern part of Reg. Palm Warbler: arr BUNP 20 April; few rep. Bay-breasted Warbler: arr CORT 14 May. Blackpoll Warbler: arr CORT 20 May; only 10 rep. CERULEAN WARBLER: arr 15 May SkanL; max 5 SkanL May. Black-and-white Warbler: arr end Apr; 14 rep. Am. Redstart: arr Bing U. 3 May, PROTHONOTARY WARBLER; Greybark Ln TIOG 11 May. Worm-eating Warbler: Barker 6 May, rare The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) for Reg, breeding? Ovenbird: arr Scott 26 Apr, increasing numbers afterwards. N. Waterthrush: arr BUNP 3 May. Louisiana Waterthrush; arr Scott CORT 18 Apr; sev reports. Mourning Warbler: arr Scott 19 May; fairly widespread uncommon breeder in Region. Com. Yellowthroat; arr BPd 27 Apr. Hooded Warbler: arr CORT 6 May; increasing breeding rep CORT & TIOG. Canada Warbler: arr CORT 13 May; more rep than recent years; max 4 Scott CORT, TANAGERS - WEAVERS Scarlet Tanager; arr Barker 5 May. E. Towhee: arr TIOG 13 Apr; many rep 25 Apr thnj. Am. Tree Sparrow: max 10 CORT 1 Mar; last TIOG 14 Apr, Chipping Sparrow: arr TIOG 10 Apr. Field Sparrow: arr Scott 8 Apr; many rep 15 Apr thru. Vesper Sparrow: Kolb Rd Maine Apr 10; rare to uncommon in Reg. Savannah Sparrow; arr Maine 10 Apr. Grasshopper Sparrow: Conklin 25 Apr; 2 Long Pond State Forest. Fox Sparrow: arr TIOG 9 Mar; sev reports early Apr. Song Sparrow: migr arr BROO & TIOG 1 & 2 Mar. Lincoln’s Sparrow: arr TIOG 7 May; 2 reports. Swamp Sparrow: arrUL 13 Apr. White-throated Sparrow: overwintered in small numbers at sev loc. White-crowned Sparrow: arr CORT end of Apr; last May 21. Snow Bunting: max 100+ CORT early Mar; last CORT 30 Mar. Rose-breasted Grosbeak: arr OTSE 30 Apr; 30+ rep sev loc 30 Apr - 3 May. Indigo Bunting: arr Vestal 30 Apr, early; inc 15 May thm. Bobolink: arr Deyo Hill 2 May; inc mid May thru. Red-winged Blackbird: arr early Mar; max 20000+ BP 5 Mar. E. Meadowlark: arr & max 6 Nanticoke 9 Mar; inc late Mar. Rusty Blackbird: arr Hillcrest 7 Mar; many WPR early Apr. Com. Grackle: arr early Mar; max 7000+ BP 5 Mar. Brown-headed Cowbird: a few overwintered 271 CORT; “many” arr TIOG mid Mar. Baltimore Oriole: arr BUNP 27 Apr. PINE GROSBEAK: few Phar CHEN thru early Mar. Purple Finch: arr few Mar; inc mid Apr; widespread breeding behavior May above 1000 ’. House Finch: small breeding number in towns, hamlets, and farms. RED CROSSBILL: 6 medium billed “Type I’s” w/dependent juv Pharsalia mid Apr; ~15 Type 4’s thru 20 March Truxton CORT. White-winged Crossbill: 2 Phar Mar, only report. Com. Redpoll: sev flocks exceeding 100 area wide early March, fairly large invasion; last TIOG early May. COM. “GREATER” REDPOLL {C.f. rostrata): CORT during invasion, intro. HOARY REDPOLL: 1-2 Scott CORT early Mar. Pine Siskin: “small” return flight March - mid May. Evening Grosbeak: max 100+ CHEN Mar- Apr; several flocks of 20-40 CHEN, CORT, & OTSE; smaller flocks thru 10 May; best showing since 2001-02 but still nothing compared to 1970-1990. Am. Goldfinch: 20-40+ across Reg Mar-Apr, good numbers. House Sparrow: largely confined to villages, cities and rural farms; declining as a breeder? ADDENDUM: In the 2006 Region 4 Spring Report this writer (Matt Young) noted two “vocal types” of Red Crossbills nesting in the Pharsalia area. There were indeed two “vocal types” present, however, this writer thought they were Types I and 2, but upon further audiospectrographic analysis of field recordings, the two types present were Types 1 and 3. These recordings were further confirmed by crossbill researcher Dr. Jeffrey Groth at the American Museum of Natural History. REGION 5—ONEIDA LAKE BASIN Bill Purcell 281 Baum Road, Hastings, New York, 13076 wpurcell@twcny.rr.com Spring began and ended on the chilly side, but in between, April was very warm and there was close to normal precipitation with little snowfall. In March the average temperature was 31.6°F, 2.0° below normal, with 5.00" of precipitation, 1.98" above normal, and 12.9" of snow. The April averages were 51.6"F, 6.3° above normal, and 2.98" of precipitation, 0.41" below normal, with no snow. In May the temperature averaged 53.7°F, 3.4° cooler than average, and there was 1.78" of precipitation, 1.61" below average. Ice-out on Oneida Lake was on 2 April and on most Adirondack Lakes 12-15 April. The Snow Goose migration was modest relative to recent years, with peak counts of about 24,000 per day. A strong cold front on 27-28 March brought a noticeable reverse migration of Snow and Canada geese when the birds were forced to retreat as northern waters refroze. Brant came in two waves 14 days apart. There were several Cackling Geese, and Trumpeter Swans were found at four sites. Dabbling duck reports were mostly unremarkable, although a “Eurasian” Green-winged Teal was unusual. Blue-winged Teal numbers remain very low. 272 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) With the Oneida Lake ice-out occurring about two weeks earlier than in 2007, some of the waterfowl that use the lake peaked about 10 to 14 days earlier than last year. That includes both scaup, Long-tailed Duck, Surf Scoter, Common Loon, Red-necked Grebe, and Homed Grebe, but White-winged Scoter was an exception with a late May peak flight. Three Great Cormorants were seen from Derby Hill soaring over Lake Ontario before vanishing into the blue sky; it was never certain if the birds had come from the south or had been on the lake originally. American Bittern was reported in low numbers, and Least Bittern was noted at only two sites. We had the usual transient Great Egrets and five migrant Black-crowned Night-Herons on the last day of the season. An adult Mississippi Kite flew over the Derby Hill south lookout on light north winds in late May; it was the second recorded in the Region. Not so rare were three Black Vultures. The Turkey Vulture count was a new high, and it was also a good year for Osprey, Bald Eagle, Broad-winged Hawk, and Golden Eagle, reflecting some favorable weather in April. As Golden Eagle numbers increase more are being seen away from Derby Hill. There were six such sightings this season. Cyclical migrants, Rough-legged Hawk and Northern Goshawk, numbers were low this spring. Merlins nesting in Syracuse were a first breeding record for Onondaga County. Another male (presumably) was seen on several occasions near Onondaga Lake into May. Sandhill Cranes are usually seen at Derby Hill in the spring, and this season they were found at two other locations as well. Rail reports were few, hopefully just a lack of effort, while Common Moorhen seems to be adjusting to the constant change in the water levels of various beaver ponds by taking advantage of newly created wetlands. Few yellowlegs of either species were seen save for an early May flight of Lesser Yellowlegs at Derby Hill. We did have a record count of Solitary Sandpipers in a flooded farm field. Pectoral Sandpiper was scarce, and only single Whimbrel, Ruddy Turnstone, and White-mmped Sandpiper were found. The late season shorebird migration consisted mostly of birds in flight over Oneida Lake, chiefly Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and Dunlin. Unusual gulls for the season were a Laughing Gull briefly seen at the Salmon River and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull in a plowed field with other gulls near Oneida Lake. Following the big winter incursion of white¬ winged gulls, only a single Iceland Gull was spotted in spring. A large sterna tem migration along Oneida Lake in late May was originally thought to be late- moving Common Terns but it was suggested by Ron Pittaway that Arctic Tem should be considered as well since it was a likely time to find them along the north shore of Lake Ontario. That will merit future study. It was another spring with lots of reports of both cuckoos, but with the lessening of the forest tent caterpillar invasion in many areas it remains to be seen if numbers decrease over the next few years. Migrant owl reports were sparse, with no Northern Saw-whets and single Snowy and Short-eared owls noted. The pines preferred as roost sites by Long-eared Owls in Noyes The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) 273 Sanctuary are being shaded out by deciduous trees and use of the area seems to on the decline. There was a nice late season Common Nighthawk migration at Derby Hill, which may occur most years without observers present. A few Whip-poor-wills were noted as migrants, and there were also birds at breeding locations other than just the traditional Constantia areas. Red-headed Woodpecker reports seem to indicate a rebound from the past few years’ lows. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker migrants were scarce. Other than at Derby Hill, Lake Ontario was not covered as heavily as in recent years, a fact borne out by the low numbers for many common species. The more difficult to find species were no exception this year, as there were no reports of Olive-sided Flycatcher, only one Gray-cheeked Thrush, two Yellow- bellied Flycatchers, and two Philadelphia Vireos. Blue Jay migration is little noticed or understood in much of the state, but the spring movement is quite evident along Lake Ontario starting in the middle of April and continuing into summer. A large flight of jays on 4 May came past Derby Hill in about three hours, with most of the birds ahead of a low pressure trough. Black-capped Chickadee and White-breasted Nuthatch had a notable return flight this season. Two singing Sedge Wrens were on territory in West Monroe. A Gray Catbird in March may have wintered nearby, they otherwise returned in late April. After a winter with few Bohemian Waxwings, there was a small, flight along Lake Ontario this season. The last two weeks of April were very warm and that brought in many of the early May migrants, with record early dates for Black-billed Cuckoo and Willow Flycatcher. Warblers came in small waves from late April through 4 May, slowed until about 14 May, and then arrived in a late rush around 25 May. Golden-winged Warbler persists in small numbers both as a migrant and a breeder, but hybrids continue to supplant what we consider to be “pure” Golden- wingeds. There was one Orange-crowned Warbler reported, the only Prairie Warblers were on territory, and Prothonotary Warber dutifully returned to Three Mile Bay WMA. There was little adverse weather in early April this year allowing migrants to move through quickly. Numbers of Wilson's Snipe; Hermit Thrush; Vesper, Savannah and Fox sparrows; and Dark-eyed Juncos were reduced from 2007. The one Clay-colored Sparrow seen was, oddly, in a wet area. Migrant Lincoln's Sparrows were few. Two Dark-eyed “Oregon” Juncos were photographed at a feeder. Only a single migrant Orehard Oriole was reported, but they continue to return to several sites and it's likely that many breeders remain to be found. All of the finches were reported this spring, although few Red and White¬ winged crossbills remained in the Region after the poor cone crop in 2007. Even after big irruptions Pine Grosbeaks typically depart before April and they did so this year. Purple Finch migration peaked in early May at Derby Hill, and flocks of Common Redpoll remained through March with stragglers well into April. A few Hoary Redpolls were also found with the Commons. Small numbers of Pine Siskin migrants were seen throughout the season, and flocks of Evening 274 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) Grosbeaks stayed at the higher elevations into April and there were even a few May migrants. A total of 242 species was seen this spring, one above the average for the previous ten years. There was also one hybrid, 2 uncommon subspecies, and the presumed released Northern Bobwhites. Highlights were Great Cormorant, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Mississippi Kite, Laughing Gull, Lesser Black- backed Gull, Sedge Wren, Orange-crowned Warbler and the finches. DERBY HILL HAWK MIGRATION TOTALS Species Arrival Max Max Date Total Turkey Vulture 3 Mar 2147 1 Apr 12880 Osprey 31 Mar 140 3 May 710 Bald Eagle 3 Mar 25 5 May 334 No. Harrier 6 Mar 115 3 May 791 Sharp-sh. Hawk 3 Mar 622 3 May 4214 Cooper’s Hawk 3 Mar 54 25 Mar, 1 Apr 333 No. Goshawk 3 Mar 3 21 Apr 19 Red-sh. Hawk 1 Mar 91 25 Mar 533 Broad-wng. Hawk 10 Apr 3709 27 Apr 19813 Red-tailed Hawk 3 Mar 866 8 Apr 5557 Rough-lgd. Hawk 3 Mar 65 1 Apr 287 Golden Eagle 6 Mar 7 14 Mar, 16 Apr 80 Am. Kestrel 14 Mar 46 1 Apr 395 Merlin 22 Mar 8 19 Apr 52 Peregrine Falcon 27 Mar 3 3 May 21 Total, inc. unid. 62,992 CONTRIBUTORS Betty Armbruster, Brenda Best, Sue Boettger, Joseph Brin, Ken Burdick, Rose Burdick, Bemie Carr, Tom Carrolan, Gerald Case, Jared Caster, Rosanne Costello, Dorothy Crumb, Greg Dashnau, Natalia Garcia, Bill Gruenbaum, Ken Hodgson, Gene Huggins, Chris Lajewski, Joshua LaCelle, Robbie LaCelle, Dan Leete, Martin Mau (MMa), Kevin McGann, Jay McGowan, Matthew Medler (MMe), David Nash, Kevin Pace, Matt Perry, Maryanne Phillips, Bill Purcell, Chris Reidy, Paul Richardson, John Rogers, Margaret Rusk, Tom Salo, Mickey Scilingo (MSc), Tony Shrimpton, Mike Slattery (MSI), Gerald Smith, Phil Taylor, Andrew Van Norstrand, David Wheeler, Tim Whitens, Christopher Wood, Judy Wright, Matt Young. ABBREVIATIONS Bvlle - Baldwinsville; CM - Clay Marsh; DH - Derby Hill; FH - Fair Haven, Little Sodus Bay and vicinity; GSC - Great Swamp Conservancy, n. MADI; The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) 275 LOL - Lake Ontario Littoral; NMP - Nine Mile Point, T's Scriba and New Haven; OneiL - Oneida Lake; OnonL - Onondaga Lake; SCH - T Schroeppel; SFNS - Spring Farm Nature Sanctuary, Kirkland; Skan - Skaneateles; SL - Sullivan-Lenox mucklands; SPd - Sandy Pond; SSSP - Selkirk Shores State Park; SVB - Sylvan and Verona Beach; Syr - Syracuse; TR - Three Rivers WMA; UM - Utica Marsh; VB - Van Buren; WH - Whiskey Hollow, T Van Buren; WM - West Monroe. WHISTLING-DUCKS-VULTURES Snow Goose; max 22,300 DH 20 Mar & 24,970 DH 22 Mar; 3,000 OSWE 27 Mar, flying south; Camillus after 8 May and Constantia after 27 May, injured birds. Brant; Lakeport 16 Mar (TS), with Canada Geese; 12 OneiL 5 May; max 2950 DH 11 May; 2425 OneiL 25 May. Cackling Goose: SCH 23 Mar (KM, ph); 3 Tully L 22 Mar (CW); 3 SVB 25 Mar. Canada Goose: max 25,000 SCH 23 Mar; 12,400 DH 28 Mar, southbound. Trumpeter Swan: 4 VB 23 Mar, calling (JB); 2 Sterling Nature Center 17 May thru (MR, BP); Volney 17 May thru (MP, KH, mob); SSSP 30 May (MMe). Tundra Swan: max 24 Brewerton 4 Mar, wintered. Wood Duck: max 60 DH 25 Mar. Gadwall: max 9 SSSP 13 Mar. Am. Wigeon: max 150 Skan 25 Mar. Am. Black Duck: max 42 Fabius 11 Mar. Blue-winged Teal; max 4 per day, generally scarce. N, Shovelcr; max 8 SVB 15 Mar. N. Pintail; max 40 SCH 29 Mar. Green-winged Teal: max 90 SCH 12 Apr. “EURASIAN” GREEN-WINGED TEAL: Skan 4 Apr (KB). Canvasback: max 49 Brewerton 4 Mar. Redhead: max 315 OnonL 5 Mar; last Ono nL 23 May. Ring-necked Duck: max 800 SSSP 16 Mar; Cato 31 May, on farm pond. Greater Scaup: max 1185 FH & 2150 Oswego 16 Mar. Lesser Scaup: max 400 OneiL 12 Apr; last 2 OneiL 17 May. Surf Scoter: arr OneiL 13 Apr; max 10 OneiL 19 Apr. White-winged Scoter: max 530 Oswego 16 Mar, wintering; 157 OneiL 24 May, late flight. Black Scoter: Lakeport Bay OneiL 22 Mar. 276 Long-tailed Duck: max 105 Oswego 16 Mar; 75 OneiL 16 Apr. Bufflehead: max 78 Mexico Pt 12 Apr. Com. Goldeneye: max 1070 FH 16 Mar; last OneiL 23 May. Hooded Merganser: arr Old Forge 5 Mar; max 32 DH 25 Mar. Com. Merganser: max 1800 OnonL 5 Mar. Red-breasted Merganser: 47 OneiL 6 Apr; OneiL 29 May. Ruddy Duck: max 3 per day; last OneiL 17 May. Red-throated Loon; OneiL 27 May, only report. Com. Loon: max 145 OneiL 13 Apr; 29 Skan L 13 Apr. Pied-billed Grebe: max 3 per day, with few total noted. Horned Grebe: max 4 Oneil 5 Mar, 19 Apr. Red-necked Grebe: max 31 OneiL 15 Apr. Double-crested Cormorant: arr DH 30 Mar. Great Cormorant: 3 DH 3 Apr (TC, BP). Am. Bittern: TR 6 Apr; 2 WM 27 Apr, low count there. Least Bittern: CM & SCH 17 May. Great Blue Heron: max 51 DH 31 Mar, migrating; 19 DH 31 May, late. Great Egret: singles DH 12 Apr, 2, 31 May; SCH 8 May; FH 14 May thru. Green Heron: max 3-4 per day, late and slow arr. Black-crowned Night-Heron: 5 DH 31 May, only report. HAWKS - ALCIDS Black Vulture; DH 6,16 & 22 Apr. Turkey Vulture; 12,880 DH, new seasonal record high. MISSISSIPPI KITE: ad DH 25 May (MSI, PT, NYSARC), 2d Reg record. N. Goshawk: CM 24 Mar, 21 Apr, only non- DH reports. The Kingbird 20^"^ September; 58 (3) Golden Eagle: Big Moose 17 Mar; Highland Forest 22 Mar; Camden 3 Apr; Erieville 5 Apr; Mexico 22 Apr; Skan 24 Apr. Merlin: VB 14 Mar, 13 Apr; Burnet P Syr 23 Mar; Liverpool 24 Mar and into May; Hannibal 7 Apr; pair Syr 6 Apr, at nest. Peregrine Falcon: Dewitt 4 Mar; pair Syr on nest; pair Utica courting. Virginia Rail: max 8 SCH 17 May. Sora: max 3 per day CM & UM. Com. Moorhen: Canastota 17 May, new habitat; max 20 Volney 17 May. Am. Coot: max 6 FH 16 Mar; 2 Volney 11 May, possible breeders. Sandhill Crane: 10 total DH 27 Mar to 25 Apr; 2 Granby 2 Apr; TR 30 May. Black-bellied Plover: max 66 OneiL 30 May. Semipalmated Plover: max 4 SL 21 May. Killdeer: max 90 DH 31 Mar. Spotted Sandpiper: max 21 LOL 15 May. Solitary Sandpiper: max 75 Fulton 10 May (TS), record count; 50 DH 2-3 May. Greater Yellowlegs: max 9 SCH 12 Apr. Lesser Yellowlegs; max 48 DH 2 May. Upland Sandpiper: arr 2 Fulton 18 Apr; Hannibal 26 Apr; Oneida 17 May. Whimhrel: OneiL 23 May, only report. Ruddy Turnstone: Constantia 30-31 May, only report. Semipalmated Sandpiper: arr 5 Fulton 10 May; max 103 OneiL 27 May. Least Sandpiper: max 75 SL 11 May. White-rumped Sandpiper: SL 28 May. Pectoral Sandpiper: 3 SCH 12 Apr. Dunlin: arr SL & Sterling 17 May; max 168 OneiL 27 May. Short-billed Dowitcher: 4 OneiL 24 May, only report. Wilson's Snipe: max 21 SL 3 Apr. LAUGHING GULL: Salmon R 17 May (MSc, MMa). Bonaparte's Gull: max 212 OneiL 17 Apr. Iceland Gull: OnonL 11 Apr. Lesser Black-backed Gull: ad SL 13 Apr. Caspian Tern: max 230 SPd 2 May. Black Tern: 2 Sangerfield 17 May, unusual off large lakes; max 22 OneiL 23 May, migrants; 12 SSSP 30 May, breeders. Com. Tern: migrant max 52 OneiL 8 May. STERNA SP: 186 migrants OneiL 25 May, likely Common but possibly Arctic? PIGEONS - WOODPECKERS Yellow-billed Cuckoo: arr 11 May; 9 reports. Black-billed Cuckoo: arr Skan 27 Apr (DL), record early; widespread after 10 May. Snowy Owl: Fabius 1 Mar, only report. Long-eared Owl: singles Noyes Sanctuary 31 Mar to 17 Apr. Short-eared Owl: DH 27 Mar, only report. Com. Nighthawk; max 19 DH 28 May. Whip-poor-will: TR 11 May, migrant; Rome 15 May; 2 breeding locations Constantia 13 May thru. Chimney Swift: max 19 DH 28 May. Red-headed Woodpecker: arr 3 LOL 9 May; 2 SVB 14 May; DH 15 May; Clinton 17 May; 2 Lysander 25 May; TR 31 May. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: migrants 1-2 per day Apr. N. Flicker: max 211 DH 17 Apr. FLYCATCHERS -WAXWINGS E. Wood-Pewee: max 8 WH 27 May. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher: WH 23 May; Camden 29 May, only reports. Acadian Flycatcher: arr WH 17 May. Willow Flycatcher: arr 30 Apr (JB), record early; SFNS 4 May, still an early date. Great Crested Flycatcher: max 11 Clay 17 May. E. Kingbird: max 44 DH 3 May. N. Shrike: 6 reports Mar; last SL 6 Apr. Philadelphia Vireo: NMP 14, 24 May, only reports. Blue Jay: max 17,430 DH 4 May. Am. Crow: max 800 DH 6 Mar. Fish Crow: 2 Liverpool thru; 3 Syr 6 Apr; 2 DH 25 Apr; 5 Camden 5 May; 2 Cicero 6 May. Com. Raven: Skan 25 Mar; TR 6 Apr. Horned Lark; max 100 SJ 12 Apr; max 100 VB 13 Apr. Purple Martin: 27 DH 2 May, migrants. Tree Swallow: max 1100 New Haven-Mexico 12 Apr. Bank Swallow; 140 Oriskany Falls 17 May, repopulating old site. Cliff Swallow: migrant max 6 per day. Black-capped Chickadee: max 167 DH 17 Apr. Red-breasted Nuthatch: max 6 NMP 29 Apr. White-breasted Nuthatch; max 16 DH 8 Apr. Brown Creeper: max 11 NMP 19 Apr. Carolina Wren: 2 Camden 22 Mar. Winter Wren: arr ONON 7 Apr. Sedge Wren: 2 WM after 17 May (AVN, JM). Marsh Wren: max 21 CM 17 May. Golden-crowned Kinglet: arr Camden 4 Apr; max 30 NMP 19 Apr, low. Ruby-crowned Kinglet: max 45 NMP 19 Apr. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: max 11 WM 5 May. E. Bluebird: max 12 DH 3 May. The Kingbird September; 58 (3) 277 Veery: max 16 NMP 15 May. Gray-cheeked Thrush: Scriba 24 May, only report. Swainson's Thrush: max 12 NMP 15 May. Hermit Thrush: Labrador Hollow 22 Mar; max 20 NMP 12 Apr. Wood Thrush: max 27 CM 17 May. Am. Robin: max 1300 DH 1 Apr. Gray Catbird: Otisco 22 Mar (CW), winterer?; max 52 CM 17 May. N. Mockingbird: DH 18 Apr, 11 May. Brown Thrasher: 2 Old Forge 29 Apr, migrants. Am. Pipit: arr OnonL 7 Mar, early; max 30 VB 13 Apr. Bohemian Waxwing: max 52 DH 11 Apr; 15 Pulaski 11 Apr. Cedar Waxwing: most DH migrants before 3 Apr and after 20 May. WARBLERS Blue-winged Warbler: max 6 NMP 15 May. Golden-winged Warbler: arr DH 3 May; reports from 4 breeding sites. “Brewster's” Warbler: DH 4 May; 2 Pompey 11 May; SFNS 24 May. Tennessee Warbler: max 8 NMP 15 May. Orange-crowned Warbler: NMP 15-17 May. Nashville Warbler: max 10 NMP 15 May. N. Parula: max 12 NMP 15 May. Yellow Warbler: max 80 DH 14 May. Chestnut-sided Warbler: max 9 NMP 15 May. Magnolia Warbler: max 11 NMP 15 May. Cape May Warbler: max 3 NMP 15 May; DH 31 May. Black-throated Blue Warbler: max 24 NMP 15 May. Yellow-rumped Warbler: max 320 DH 2 May. Black-throated Green Warbler: max 14 NMP 15 May. Blackburnian Warbler: max 8 Camden 4 May. Pine Warbler: max 11 NMP 19 Apr. Prairie Warbler: arr SFNS 3 May; Tully 14 May. Palm Warbler: max 40 LOL 3 May. Bay-breasted Warbler: max 6 NMP 15 May. Blackpoll Warbler: max 12 DH 31 May. Cerulean Warbler: arr WM 5 May, early; SVB 14 May. Black-and-white Warbler: max 5 NMP 15 May. Am. Redstart: max 40 NMP 24 May. Prothonotary Warbler: arr WM 16 May. Ovenbird: max 23 NMP 15 May. N. Waterthrush: max 6 per day LOL. Louisiana Waterthrush: arr Pratt's Falls 12 Apr. Mourning Warbler: max 2 per day LOL 17 May thm. Com. Yellowthroat: max 42 CM 17 May. Hooded Warbler: max 7 NMP 15 May. Wilson's Warbler; max 3 per day LOL 10 May thru. Canada Warbler: migrants 1-2 per day. TANAGERS - WEAVERS Scarlet Tanager: max 34 DH 14 May. Am. Tree Sparrow: last Skan 19 Apr. Clay-colored Sparrow: Skan 8-13 May, only report. Field Sparrow: arr SFNS 11 Apr. Vesper Sparrow: max 6 NMP 12 Apr. Grasshopper Sparrow: arr OSWE 3 May. Fox Sparrow: arr Clinton 5 Mar; max 5 Hastings 11 Apr; most reports 28 Mar-16 Apr but low numbers. Song Sparrow: arr Canastota 8 Mar. Lincoln's Sparrow: max 1 per day thru May. Swamp Sparrow: arr SCH 6 Apr. White-throated Sparrow: 2 Oswego 15 Mar, unusual in winter; max 50 Camden 4 May; migrants 13 Apr to 20 May. White-crowned Sparrow: max 27 NMP 15 May. Dark-eyed Junco: max 65 NMP 12 Apr. Dark-eyed “Oregon” Junco: 2 SSSP 16 Mar (KM, ph). Lapland Longspur: 2 Oneida 1 Mar; VB 24 Mar. Snow Bunting: max 175 Oneida 1 Mar; last DH31 Mar. Rose-breasted Grosbeak: max 19 DH 14 May. Indigo Bunting: max 12 DH 14 May. Bobolink: max 280 DH 2 May. Red-winged Blackbird: arr n HERK 3 Mar. E. Meadowlark: arr Skan 12 Mar. Rusty Blackbird: arr 3 VB 15 Mar; max 250 Clay 8 May; last Bvlle 21 May. Brown-headed Cowbird: arr DH 14 Mar. Orchard Oriole: NMP 14 May, only migrant; T Marshall 17 May; Cato 19 May thm; 4 Green Lakes SP 17 May thm. Baltimore Oriole: max 115 DH 14 May. Pine Grosbeak: max 40 New Hartford 15 Mar; last 2 Mexico 20 Mar. Purple Finch; max 650 DH 3 May. Red Crossbill: to 3 per day s MADI thm. 278 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) White-winged Crossbill: single Camillus 2 May. Com. Redpoll: widespread thru Mar; max 290 DH 3 Apr; last 3 DH 25 Apr. Hoary Redpoll: Sheds 1 Mar; Camden 15, 18 Mar; Pulaski 29 Mar. Pine Siskin: max 16 DH 3 May; last 3 DH 26 May. N. Bobwhite: some releases surviving winter to breed at GSC. Evening Grosbeak: max 70 Sheds 1 Mar; last DH and SFNS 3 May. RELEASE/ESCAPE REGION 6—ST. LAWRENCE Jeffrey S. Bolsinger 98 State Street, Canton NY 13617 jsbolsinger@yahoo.conn Early spring was cool and wet, with a mean March temperature in Watertown of 26.9° F, which is 4° below normal, and 3.99" of precipitation, which is 1.1" above normal. Cool temperatures continued until mid-April, when daily temperatures rose from the 40s and low 50s on 13-16 April to the 70s on most days in the last half of the month. April ended with more typical temperatures in the 50s and 60s, but the extended warm spell resulted in a mean monthly temperature of 50.3°, which is 6.6° above normal and made for the second or third wannest April on record. May was cool, averaging 53.0°, 3.4° below normal. Mean precipitation was barely above normal in April and 0.9" below normal in May. Cool March temperatures resulted in a substantial snow pack persisting well into the spring, as well as the presence of little open water throughout the interior of the Region when the bulk of the waterfowl migration took place. Many observers noted large northward movements of Snow and Canada geese on several late March and early April mornings, followed by same-day southward flights, mostly in the afternoon. A Snow Goose flock in Ellisburg, which Nick Leone estimated to contain 50,000 to 60,000 individuals, illustrates the continued increase in numbers passing through the Region. Single Ross’s Geese were picked out of flocks on Fort Drum on 27 March and in Canton on 30 March. Reports of “Richardson’s” Cackling Goose came from Upper and Lower Lakes WMA and the Black River Valley. Most observers felt that the duck migration was poor and that perhaps many species moved through quickly because of the absence of open water. The most noteworthy duek report was of a flock of 3000 Northern Pintails in Hounsfield during early April, an unusually high total for Region 6. A Turkey Vulture seen migrating near the Lake Ontario shoreline on 1 March was early, but the bulk of the vulture migration occurred at more typical The Kingbird 20^^ September; 58 (3) 279 dates. Golden Eagle made a good showing, with four reports totaling six individuals. Rough-legged Hawk numbers remained low during the first half of the reporting period, with no late season reports, unlike most recent years. Several observers felt that Northern Harriers were present in lower than usual numbers throughout the period. There were two highlights of the shorebird migration. Willets are rarely observed in Region 6, especially during spring migration, so one Willet that flew over me on 16 May near a marsh on Fort Drum was a surprise. Two days later Jerry and Judi LeTendre found two Marbled Godwits in Cape Vincent, an even rarer shorebird in the Region; several attempts to relocate the godwits on subsequent days failed, but the LeTendres saw two godwits in this same location again on 23 May, after which there were no more reports. Several observers reported good numbers of shorebirds at farm ponds throughout northern Jefferson County, primarily Semipalmated Plover, both yellowlegs, and Solitary and Least sandpipers, but I received few reports that included numbers or locations. Up to three Sandhill Cranes spent much of May in Ellisburg, with at least one still present at the end of the month, suggesting the possibility of a nesting attempt although no specific breeding behavior was reported. On 24 March neighbors called MaryBeth Warburton hoping that she could come over to identify a large owl that was perched on a bird feeder near their living room window. When she arrived MaryBeth was surprised to see a Great Gray Owl, which remained on the feeder for much of the day, delighting birders who came to see it throughout the morning and early afternoon. (Fig. A, p. 259). The owl was seen for at least three more days, although it was never again so cooperative. The homeowners reported seeing a large owl without tufts in the area for up to a week prior to this date, although Barred Owls nest nearby and it is not certain which species they actually saw. This sighting came on the heels of a winter reporting season with very few Snowy Owls and no other northern owl reports. The warm spell during the latter half of April contributed to the early arrival of many species that typically show up in late April or early May, while species with mean arrival dates in mid- to late-May generally appeared on dates that were closer to historic norms. Species that were reported well before mean arrival dates included Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Eastern Wood- Pewee, Least Flycatcher, Bam Swallow, Hermit Thmsh, Blue-headed Vireo, Nashville Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, American Redstart, and Vesper Sparrow. As a result of these especially early arrivals, the overall mean arrival date for 82 species for which I had good information was 25 April, compared to a historic mean of 1 May. There was virtually no overlap between the departure of the winter’s Bohemian Waxwings and Pine Grosbeaks and the return of breeding waxwings and finches. Pine Grosbeaks left the Region by mid-March and Bohemian Waxwings by mid-April, after which waxwings of either species were virtually absent until Cedar Waxwings began to pour into northern New York during the 280 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) latter half of May. Similarly, Purple Finches and American Goldfinches returned in numbers about a month after the departure of the last Pine Grosbeaks. Red Crossbills and Pine Siskins remained scarce throughout the spring. For the season I received reports of 224 species, an excellent total for Region 6 that is nearly 20 species higher than recent spring totals. This high total was possible because of a combination of the presence of lingering winter irruptives, better shorebird reporting than in past springs, and a relatively large number of rarities. On the negative side was a relatively poor duck migration and low numbers of several raptor species. CONTRIBUTORS Marilyn Badger, Jeff Bolsinger, Dick and Marion Brouse, Carol Cady, Bemie Carr, Joan Collins, Julie Covey, Mike Jeziorski, Linda LaPan, Jerry & Judi LeTendre, Gary Lewandrowski, Nick Leone, Irene Mazzocchi, Brian McAllister, Eugene Nichols, David Prosser, Chris Reidy, Gerry Smith, MaryBeth Warburton, Bob & June Walker, Tom & Eileen Wheeler, Lydia Wright. ABBREVIATIONS BRV - Black River Valley LEWI; CV - Cape Vincent JEFF; ED - El Dorado Shores Preserve; FL - Fisher’s Landing, T Orleans JEFF; FD - Fort Drum Military Reservation; GPSP - Grass Point SP JEFF; ICNC - Indian Creek Nature Center, T Canton STLA; LPt - Leishman Pt, T Waddington STLA; KC - Kelsey Creek, T Watertown JEFF; LGI - Little Galloo Island; MM - Massawepie Mire, Piercefield and Colton; PtPen - Pt Peninsula, T Lyme JEFF; PRWMA - Perch River WMA, T Orleans JEFF; SLR - Saint Lawrence River; ULLWMA - Upper and Lower Lakes WMA, T Canton STLA; SnPt - Snowshoe Pt, T Henderson JEFF; StPt - Stony Pt, T Henderson JEFF; TP - Tibbets Pt, T Cape Vincent JEFF; WHWMA - Wilson Hill WMA. WHISTLING-DUCKS - VULTURES Snow Goose: max 50,000-60,000 Ellisburg 25 Mar, high; many reports 500-7000 per day 24 Mar - 4 Apr. ROSS’S GOOSE (R6): over FD with 600 Snow Geese 27 Mar (JB); Canton 30 Mar (BM, LL, LW, photos!). “RICHARDSON”S” CACKLING GOOSE (R6): ULLWMA 29 Mar & 6 Apr (JB); BRV 17 Apr(NL). Brant: 300 Chaumont Bay 25 May; ULLWMA 26 May. Trumpeter Swan: 2 Brookside Cemetery Watertown thru; up to 6 PRWMA Apr & May. Wood Duck: arr ULLWMA 23 Mar. Mallard: max 2500 Ellisburg 13 Mar. Blue-winged Teal: arr CV 6 Apr. N. Shoveler: 4 TP 30 Mar; BRV 17 Apr. N. Pintail: arr Ogdensburg 15 Mar; max 3000 Hounsfield 2-3 Apr, high count. Green-winged Teal: arr ULLWMA 6 Apr. Redhead: 2 PRWMA 5 May. Ring-necked Duck: arr Ogdensburg 29 Mar; max 700 FL 31 Mar. Greater Scaup: max 1200 TP 30 Mar. Lesser Scaup: 15 CV 6 Apr; 12 BRV 17 Apr. Surf Scoter: LPt 20 Apr. White-winged Scoter: Ogdensburg 4 Mar; 5 StPt 6 Apr. Black Scoter: StPt 6 Apr. The Kingbird 20^^ September; 58 (3) 281 Long-tailed Duck: 200 StPt 6 Apr; 1000+ Chaumont 18 Apr; 25 SnPt 25 Apr. Bufilehead: last 2 PtPen 13 May. Com. Goldeneye: last 4 WHWMA 20 Apr. Hooded Merganser: arr FD 13 Mar. Com. Merganser: last SLR 17 May. Red-breasted Merganser: max 71 PtPen 13 May. Com. Loon: arr PtPen 6 Apr. Pied-billed Grebe: arr FD 9 Apr. Horned Grebe: max 16 ULLWMA 25 Apr. Red-necked Grebe: ULLWMA 19 Apr; 2 ULLWMA 27 Apr. Am. Bittern: arr Potsdam 9 Apr. Least Bittern: arr FD 16 May. Great Blue Heron: arr Hounsfield 24 Mar. Green Heron: arr Watertown 29 Apr. Turkey Vulture: arr Watertown 1 Mar. HAWKS - ALCIDS Osprey: arr GPSP 6 Apr. N. Harrier: arr Ellisburg 13 Mar. Red-shouldered Hawk: arr FD 27 Mar. Broad-winged Hawk: arr Parishville 10 Apr. Rough-legged Hawk: last ULLWMA 13 Apr. Golden Eagle: imm Ellisburg 24 Mar; 3 Potsdam 20 Apr; 1 Potsdam 23 Apr; ad or subad FD 10 May. Am. Kestrel: arr Gouvemeur 14 Mar. Merlin: pr Canton 16 May. Virginia Rail: arr ICNC 19 Apr. Sora: no reports. Com. Moorhen: arr PRWMA 5 May. Sandhill Crane: 3 Lakeview WMA early to mid-May, at least 1 thru; ULLWMA 18 May. Semipalmated Plover: ED 23 May. Killdeer: arr Ellisburg 6 Mar. Greater Yellowlegs: several reports CV May. Lesser Yellowlegs: arr Ellisburg 29 Mar, early; “many” CV May. Solitary Sandpiper: Dekalb 6 May; several reports CV May. WILLET (R6): flying near Matoon Marsh FD 16May(JB). Spotted Sandpiper: arr FD 5 May. Upland Sandpiper: arr Leray 2 May; second location Leray 6 May; 4 FD late May, MARBLED GOD WIT: 2 CV 18, 23 May (JL & JL, DP, DB&MB), photos, report to NYSARC!. Least Sandpiper: arr E. Martinsburg 2 May, early. Short-billed Dowitcher: CV 18-19 May. Wilson’s Snipe: arr Canton 8 Apr. Am. Woodcock: arr Potsdam 27 Mar. Bonaparte’s Gull: arr Chaumont 12 Apr. 282 Ring-billed Gull: arr in numbers 3-4 Mar; 37,425 nests LGI 14 May. Herring Gull: 375 nests LGI 14 May. Great Black-backed Gull: 1 nest LGI 28 May, down from recent years. Caspian Tern: arr Chaumont 12 Apr; 1376 nests LGI 28 May, fewest since 2001. Com. Tern: arr LPt 20 Apr. Black Tern: arr PRWMA 5 May. PIGEONS - WOODPECKERS Black-billed Cuckoo: arr FD 16 May. GREAT GRAY OWL: Potsdam 24-27 Mar (MBW, mob), photos, report to NYSARC!. Short-eared Owl: last CV 3^'^ week Mar. N. Saw-whet Owl: Lorraine 15 Mar. Whip-poor-will: arr Chaumont 23 Apr. Chimney Swift: arr Canton 7 May. Ruby-throated Hummingbird: arr Potsdam 12 May. Belted Kingfisher: arr CV 6 Mar. Red-bellied Woodpecker: 2 new locations FD May. Red-headed Woodpecker: arr FD 8 May. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: wintering KC bird last seen 9 Mar; arr FD 9 Apr. N. Flicker: arr KC 12 Mar. FLYCATCHERS -WAXWINGS Olive-sided Flycatcher: arr Colton 25 May. E. Wood-Pewee: arr PRWMA 5 May, early; next report WHWMA 17 May. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher: arr MM 25 May. Aider Flycatcher: arr ICNC 15 May. Willow Flycatcher: arr FD 24 May. Least Flycatcher: arr FD 30 Apr. E. Phoebe: arr FL 6 Apr. Great Crested Flycatcher: arr ICNC 2 May. E. Kingbird: arr ICNC 3 May. N. Shrike: last Canton 4 Apr. Yellow-throated Vireo: arr ICNC 3 May. Blue-headed Vireo: arr FD 21 Apr. Warbling Vireo: arr ICNC 3 May. Philadelphia Vireo: MM 25 May. Red-eyed Vireo: arr Lorraine 10 May. Horned Lark: max 300 Ellisburg 13 Mar. Purple Martin: arr Canton 19 Apr. Tree Swallow: arr Henderson 4 Apr. N. Rough-winged Swallow: arr FD 21 Apr. Bank Swallow: arr PRWMA 5 May. Cliff Swallow: arr Tug Hill 2 May; 100+ Barnhart Is Massena 17 May. Barn Swallow: arr Lowville 10 Apr. Carolina Wren: Watertown 16 May. House Wren: arr Canton 23 Apr. Winter Wren: arr FD 29 Apr. The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) Sedge Wren: arr FD 22 May. Marsh Wren: arr PRWMA 25 Apr. Golden-crowned Kinglet: arr Canton 4 Apr. Ruby-crowned Kinglet: arr Potsdam 14 Apr. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: arr Dekalb 2 May; FD 20 May. E. Bluebird: arr Ellisburg 25 Mar. Veery: arr FD 6 May. Hermit Thrush: arr FD 8 Apr. Wood Thrush: arr Dekalb 2 May. Gray Catbird: arr ICNC 3 May. Brown Thrasher: arr Canton 19 Apr. Bohemian Waxwing: last 20 Gouvemeur 15 Apr. Cedar Waxwing: scarce mid-Mar to mid-May, when arr in numbers. WARBLERS Blue-winged Warbler: arr FD 29 Apr, early. Golden-winged Warbler: arr Potsdam 5 May. “Brewster’s” Warbler: 8 FD during May; increasing. “Lawrence’s” Warbler: FD 10, 14 May, previously unrecorded at this location. Tennessee Warbler: arr FD 7 May. Orange-crowned Warbler: ICNC 18 May (JB). Nashville Warbler: arr Potsdam 28 Apr. N. Parula: arr FD 8 May. Yellow Warbler: arr ICNC 27 Apr. Chestnut-sided Warbler: arr ICNC 3 May. Magnolia Warbler: arr FD 8 May. Cape May Warbler: arr ICNC 18 May. Black-throated Blue Warbler: arr ICNC 3 May. Yellow-rumped Warbler: arr ICNC 19 Apr. Black-throated Green Warbler: arr Potsdam 26 Apr. Blackburnian Warbler; arr FD 6 May. Pine Warbler; arr Canton 13 Apr. Prairie Warbler: arrFD 8 May. Palm Warbler: 18 singing males MM 25 May. Bay-breasted Warbler: arr SnPt 18 May. Blackpoll Warbler: arr FD 20 May. Cerulean Warbler: arr Dekalb 6 May. Black-and-white Warbler: arr ICNC 27 Apr. Am. Redstart: arr Potsdam 29 Apr. Ovenbird: arr Potsdam 28 Apr. N. Waterthrush: arr FD 30 Apr. Louisiana Waterthrush: Lorraine 10 May, only report. Mourning Warbler: art FD 15 May. Com. Yellowthroat: arr FD 6 May. Hooded Warbler: probable breeding Ellisburg 18 May, only report. Wilson’s Warbler: arr SnPt 17 May. Canada Warbler: arr FD 14 May. TANAGERS - WEAVERS Scarlet Tanager; arr FD 5 May. E. Towhee: arr FD 17 Apr. Am. Tree Sparrow: last ICNC 13 Apr. Chipping Sparrow; arr FD 17 Apr. Clay-colored Sparrow: arr FD 7 May; Henderson & Waddington 17 May; 3 Brownville 25 May. Field Sparrow: arrFD 16 Apr. Vesper Sparrow: arr Carthage 30 Mar. Savannah Sparrow: arr CV 6 Apr. Grasshopper Sparrow: arr FD 1 May; 6 Henderson 17 May. Henslow’s Sparrow: arr FD 5 May. Fox Sparrow: arr ULLWMA 12 Apr. Song Sparrow: arr Canton 27 Mar. Lincoln’s Sparrow: 15 singing m MM 25 May. Swamp Sparrow: arr ULLWMA 12 Apr. White-throated Sparrow: arr ULLWMA 25 Mar. White-crowned Sparrow: arr CV 24 Mar. Lapland Longspur: CV 11 Mar Snow Bunting: last Canton 29 Mar. Rose-breasted Grosbeak: arr KC 1 May. Indigo Bunting: arr FD 14 May. Bobolink; arr FD 1 May. Red-winged Blackbird: arr Ellisburg 6 Mar. E. Meadowlark: arr Ellisburg 18 Mar. Rusty Blackbird: arr FD 27 Mar. Com. Grackle: arr Ellisburg 6 Mar. Brown-headed Cowbird: arr Watertown 11 Mar. Orchard Oriole: Three Mile Pt early May (BW & JW); pr PtPen 19 May (JL & JL). Baltimore Oriole: arr ICNC 27 Apr. Pine Grosbeak: last Ogdensburg 15 Mar. Purple Finch: scarce until mid-Apr. Red Crossbill: 5 FD 21 Apr. Pine Siskin: 2 Canton 25 Apr; Potsdam 14 May; scarce. 2008 September; 58 (3) 283 REGION 7—ADIRONDACK-CHAMPLAIN John M.C. Peterson 477 County Rte 8, Elizabethtown. NY 12932 jmcp7@juno.com Except for two minor snowstorms, the first week of March was uneventful, but snow resumed late on the 7* and by the following day had turned to freezing rain, sleet, and then more rain that began to freeze. Branches cracked, trees crashed, and lines broke, leaving 30,000 across the Region without power and many residences without telephone service. The Ice Storm of ‘08 was not as severe as the Great Ice Storm of ‘98, but the impact on both humans and birds was considerable. Power was restored within five days, but some residents were without telephone/intemet service for ten. Winter snowfall in the Champlain Valley had reached 112" by 12 March, 45" above the average of 67", and the surface was now covered by a thick layer of ice. One wildlife rehabilitator in Chazy took in five Barred Owls, which were held for banding and not released until 14-18 April when the ice and snow cover had melted, but many more owls may have succumbed to the elements. A windstorm 21 March brought renewed power outages. Weather for the remainder of the season was rather anticlimactic. April Fool’s Day saw winds reach 60 mph, and a heat wave 18-22 April saw temperatures in the 80s for five days, reaching 82° at Westport on the 21®^ May was largely sunny, cool, and windy, and, although the Central Adirondacks saw some heavy rains, the only noteworthy rain in the Champlain Valley fell on the morning of the 15*, followed by sun showers 21-23 May. A deluge then closed the season, with 1" hailstones drumming on Clinton County on the afternoon of 31 May. Lake Champlain stood at 97.33' on 1 March and had returned to exactly the same level by 31 May, but rose above the 100' flood stage between 13 April and 6 May, following spring runoff in the mountains, and reached a peak of 100.75' from 22-25 April. As the waters receded in May, beaches were covered with dead alewives, which arrived in the lake only two years ago, and mudflats were covered with shorebirds. More than 45,000 Snow Geese gathered in huge floeks from Point au Roche to the Chazy Riverlands by 25 March, feeding and flying, carpeting at least nine extensive fields, and clouding the sky—a new spring maxima for the county and Region, although short of the 57,000 seen in the same vicinity 13 November 2002 [The Kingbird 53:1, p. 75]. The farmland between the Little and Great Chazy rivers, mueh of it flooded during the April thaw, also attracted a rich mix of waterfowl, the first Gray Partridge in five years, Great Egret, Common Moorhen, Bonaparte’s Gull, and Caspian and Common terns. As the lake fell, the 13 shorebird species included the third Clinton County record of Marbled Godwit on 17 and 21 May, as well as a male Wilson’s Phalarope—the first in six years—on 16 May. The Crown Point banding station was in operation for the 33'''^ consecutive 284 The Kingbird 200^ September; 58 (3) season between 9 and 26 May. With no major fronts to ground migrants and the migration of many passerines running late, a relatively low total of 384 birds of 51 species was banded, including just 13 species of warblers versus the record 23 warblers in 2007. These included, however, a half-dozen “Western” Palm Warbler plus Blackpoll and Wilson’s warblers. There was also a record 45 returns of a dozen species banded at Crown Point in previous years, the oldest a Common Crackle now six years, 11 months old. Species seen or heard but not banded, include: a late Snow Goose, nesting Osprey, seven migrant Bald Eagle, calling Whip-poor-will, and leucistic American Robin. Four OPR & HP staff members from Albany paid an on-site visit and met with representatives of the Crown Point Bandng Association to discuss control of invasive species, notably Common Buckthorn, in the vicinity of the banding station. Since 1976, a total of 14,982 birds of 98 species plus four subspecies and hybrids has been banded at the State Historic Site. A major criterion for naming Crown Point SHS not only an Audubon Important Bird Area (IBA) but also a New York State Bird Conservation Area (BCA) was the congregations of birds at the tip of Crown Point peninsula. Under one set of criteria, these consist of at least 2,000 waterfowl, including such birds as cormorants. Large numbers of Double-crested Cormorants have gathered on the west spit in Bulwagga Bay for many years, nesting there in 2000 (31 nests), ‘01 (24 nests), ‘02 (three nests), and ‘03 (16 nests), an apparent result of the onset of “control” operations in Vermont. There has been no subsequent nesting attempted for five years. On 12 May there were 160 cormorants sunning on the spit and diving for invasive alewives, while Turkey Vultures and Common Crackles cleaned the beaches of dead fish. At 9:10 a.m. the following day, a DEC boat arrived and two men began shooting. They killed a reported 69 cormorants, both adults and subadults, on 13 May, collecting carcasses in large bags. The DEC returned for longer periods on following days, their heavy shotgun fire difficult to explain to groups of adjudicated youth visiting the banding station on 16 May and sixth graders on 21 May. Radio eonversation between boats about the shooting of “hangers” and “floppers,” cripples in trees and on the water, followed by shots, was clearly overheard on the banding station sport radios by the students until the banders advised the Department staff to switch channels. Adult visitors were astounded to hear the steady shooting and learn that the killing of these native birds was allowed on an IBA and BCA. On 20 May the number of cormorants gathered at the spit had reached 200, and by late May the sight of birds flying east to Vermont signaled the pending arrival by boat of the DEC across Bulwagga Bay and commencement of the day’s shooting. Similar “control” shooting continued in Vermont during May, and the DEC planned a big cormorant shoot on The Four Brothers bird sanctuary, another Audubon IBA, during Summer ’08 as well as oiling eggs there. Elsewhere, and ending on a happier note, there was a Cackling Goose at Cumberland Head, gray-phase Gyrfalcon at Cumberland Head, Gray Partridge The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) 285 near Bangor and North Bangor, a rarely reported Long-eared Owl calling at Saranac Lake, Golden-winged Warbler at Spring Pond Bog, Henslow’s Sparrow at Owls Head, and several further reports of “Greater” Redpoll (C./ rostratd) at Cumberland Head and Elizabethtown during the redpoll invasion of 2007-08. There were also some interesting American Robins studied at Crown Point, Plattsburgh, and Point au Per. A total of 205 species was reported, fewer than last year’s 214 and well short of the 1997 record of 219 species. CONTRIBUTORS Thomas Armstrong, Thomas Barber, Lynne Ballou, Don Bogucki, Jules Callaghan, Laurel Carroll, Nancy Carter, Joan Collins, Charlcie Delehanty, John Delehanty, Marian Delehanty, Diane Demers, Thomas Dudones, Gerry Duffy, Elizabeth & Holland Fitts, Donna Fletcher, Jinny Frenette, Steve Glynn, Candace & John Hess, Gordon Howard, Suzy Johnson, Paul Kelly, Bill Krueger, Dayna Lalonde, Linda LaPan, Mark A. Manske, Cynthia Martino, Larry Master, Brian McAllister, Melanie McCormack, Matthew D. Medler, Charles Mitchell, James Murray, Jeff Nadler, Joanne Nichols, Peter Nye, Stan Oliva, Nancy Olsen, Sandy Olshewski, Lydia & Paul Osenbaugh, John & Susan Peterson, Richard Poulin, Ellen Rathbone, Nancy Rogers, Dana Rohleder, Marilyn Smith, Rose Smith, William Stahl, Beverly Stelges, John & Patricia Thaxton, Eve Ticknor, Yvette Tillema, Jan Trzeciak, Hollis White, Cecelia Wojciukiewicz, Lydia Wright. ABBREVIATIONS AP - Ausable Pt; CH - Cumberland Head; CP - Crown Pt SHS; CR - Chazy Riverlands; LA - L Alice; LL - Long L; LP - L Placid; NP - Noblewood P; PS - Paul Smiths; PtF - Pt au Fer; PtR - Pt au Roche; SB - Sabattis Bog; SL - Saranac L; TL - Tupper L; WB - Whallon’s Bay; WD - Wilcox Dock; WM - Wickham Marsh. WHISTLING-DUCKS - VULTURES Snow Goose: max 45,000+ PtR to CR 25 Mar (BK,CM), spring record high CLIN & Reg 7; the same flocks extended from Chazy north into Canada 27 Mar (JP); 6 CLIN wearing neck collars Mar-Apr (MM), banded Bylot & Ellesmere islands, Nunavut; last CP 11 May (TB,GH). Brant: arr Lewis 11 May (GH); TL 29-30 May (CD), fishing lure in bill. Cackling Goose: arr CH 25 Mar (BK,CM0, early CLIN & Reg 7; CR 26 Apr & 11 May (BK), late CLIN & Reg 7. Mute Swan: 4 CR 8 Apr (DL)-25 Apr (MM); max 5 CR 25 Apr; last CR 11-21 May 286 (BK,CM), late CLIN. Gadwall: WB 11 Mar (DL,MM); 2 pr AP 18 Mar (DR); 1-3 CR 25 Apr-28 May (MM,WS), nice finds here. Am. Wigeon: 1-2 AP 11-29 Mar (C&JH,BK,CM); 2 WB 11 Mar (DL,MM); pr CR 8-19 Apr (DL,J&PT); Beekmantown 10 Apr (MM); L Flower 12 Apr (TD), a good showing. N. Shoveler: 2 m Beekmantown 10 Apr (MM); pr Ft Covington 11 Apr (HW); 4 CR 21-28 May (DL,MM); WD 28 May (CH), similarly good. N. Pintail: max 55 AP 2 Apr (MM). Canvasback: CH 28 Mar (BK, CM), only The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) report. Redhead: CH 26 Mar (BK); a few King’s Bay 6 May (WS), scarce here. Com. Goldeneye: max 400 AP 18 Mar (DR); nesting pr AP 1 May (WS). Red-breasted Merganser: several Westport 17 May (ET), but only report. Gray Partridge: Bangor & N Bangor early Mar (GD), D* FRAN since May 2002; m, 2f CR 26 Mar (BK,CM); 4 CR 28 Mar (SG), 1^' CLIN since July 2002. Wild Turkey: max 50 Saranac manure pile 28 Mar (EF); Big Lots store, Plattsburgh 16 Apr (JH), pecking at door; banded Inlet as jake ‘07 (NYSDEC) shot 31 May as a 20 lb tom with double beard (GL), Pied-billed Grebe: Terry Mt pd 31 May (C&JH), unexpected; also AP & CR as expected. Double-crested Cormorant: 160 CP roost 12 May (GH,JP); 69 shot CP roost 13 May (NYSDEC); many more shot there 16,19, & 21 May (DEC); 200 CP roost 20 May (GH); 11 banded Four Brothers 2002-03 killed in control operations Grand Isle, Panton, Rock Island, & St. Albans, VT, 2004-08.(JP); 2-7 Auger L 6- 31 May (GH), unusual inland. Least Bittern: PtF 20 May (BK,CM), always a good find. Great Egret: 11 Chapman Rd, T Ft Covington 9 Apr; max 14 there 11 Apr (HW); AP 16 Apr (WS), early CLIN; 2 PtF 10 May (BK,CM); CR 11-13 May (BK), continued regional increase. Cattle Egret: T Saranac 1 May (BM), only report. Turkey Vulture: arr Plattsburgh 1 Mar (EF); later Mar sightings CP, Harkness, LP, SL, Terry Mt, TL, & Wilmington; max 15 CP 16- 19 May (GH,JP), feasting upon dead alewives on beaches. HAWKS - ALCIDS Bald Eagle: ad & juv Inlet feeder Mar (GL); 3 ad, 4 imm Westport 5 Apr (J&PT); 3 ad, 4 imm northbound migrants CP 18-19 May (TB,GH,JP); new nest with y Chesterfield (DB), failed by 9 May (PN,DR); ~20 other reports. Rough-legged Hawk: on deer carcass Inlet feeder 4 Apr (GL), 3'^'’ KAMI record. Golden Eagle: imm Ebenezer Mt & imm Wilmington 27 Mar (PO), always good. Am. Kestrel: f nestling banded Moira 2 Jul 07 (MAM), found dead Houma, LA 19 Mar. Merlin: AP, Carpenter’s Flats, IL, Mt View, North Farm Rd, Oseetah L, Plattsburgh, SB, TL, Trudeau, only suggestive of distribution. GYRFALCON: gray-phase imm CH 2 Mar (BK). Peregrine Falcon: Azure Mt, Peru, Pickett’s Comers, only reports. Virginia Rail: LA 25-27 Apr (BK,CM,MM); max 4 PtF 10 May (BK,CM). Com. Moorhen: 1-2 PtF 8-25 May (BK,DL,MDM,MM); CR 16 May (BK), good finds. Am. Coot: PtF 10 May (BK), only report. Black-bellied Plover: CR 10-14 May; max 4 CR 11 May (BK); last 2 CR 25 May (MDM,MM). Semipalmated Plover: arr 11 CR 14 May; max 42+ CR 15 May (BK,CM); last 30 CR 28 May (MDM,MM). Solitary Sandpiper; Keene 10 May (J&PT); SLHS 10 May (TD); Saranac R 11 May (LL); Malone 14 May (NR), a good spring showing. Greater Yellowlegs: arr 3 Riley Brook 20 Apr (BK); SL 26 Apr (TD); CR 6 May (WS)-28 May (MM); max 12 CR 11 May (BK). Lesser Yellowlegs: arr 3 TL 8 Apr; 6 TL 1 May (CD); CR 17 Apr (J&PT)-18 May (BK,MM); max 10 CR 16 May (BK); 2 Riley Brook 20 Apr (BK,CM). MARBLED GOD WIT: CR 17 & 21 May (BK,CM), 3^‘‘ CLIN record. Sanderling: arr alt CR 14 May (BK), scarce in spring. Semipalmated Sandpiper: 2 NP 26 May (MDM), only report. Least Sandpiper: arr 4 CR 11 - 28 May; max 100 CR 25-28 May (MDM,MM). Pectoral Sandpiper: CR 14 May (BK), good spring bird. Dunlin: arr 2 CR 18 Apr (BK,CM); max 50 CR 28 May (MM). Short-billed Dowitcher: arr 2 CR 16 May (BK); max 100 CR 25 May (MDM,MM); last 23 CR 28 May (MM), excellent numbers. WILSON’S PHALAROPE: m CR 16 May (BK), E* there in 6 yrs. Bonaparte’s Gull: arr Saranac R, Oseetah L 12 Apr (LL), early FRAN; TL 21 Apr (CD); 3 basic CR 13 May (BK); 3 Westport 17 May (ET); max 13 CR 28 May (MM). Caspian Tern: arr AP 16 Apr (WS), early CLIN; AP 21 Apr (BK,CM); 1-3 CR25 Apr- 28 May (MM). Black Tern: arr CLIN 23 May (JH); PtF 25 May (MDM,MM). Com. Tern: arr CR 10 May (BK); max 9 CR 28 May (MM). The Kingbird 200^ September; 58 (3) 287 PIGEONS - WOODPECKERS Black-billed Cuckoo: arr Westport 24 May (MDM), singing cu-cu-cu 10:45 p.m.; Bug L 27 May (GL). Great Horned Owl: Inlet golf course 1 Apr (GL), died after being driven into water by crows & ravens. Barred Owl: TL feeder 12 Mar (CD); 2 Keene feeder thru (J&PT); 5 rehabilitated & released CLIN 14-18 Apr (DF); winter survivors calling Elizabethtown, Dannemora, & LA mid-Apr. Long-eared Owl: calling SL 12 May (GL), rarely reported. Com. Nighthawk: 14 Carpenter’s Flats 29 May (DR), good number, but only report. Whip-poor-will: CP 10 May (TB,JP); Rand Hill 13-16 May (JH); Pt Kent 17 May (DR); 2 Whallonsburg 24 May; 1, 2 Boquet 24, 25 May (MDM), encouraging. Black-backed Woodpecker: Azure Mt; Chubb R; PS; SB; Table Top Mt, expected locales; Lake Shore Rd, Westport 23 Mar (J&PT), unexpected. FLYCATCHERS -WAXWINGS Yellow-bellied Flycatcher: transient banded CP 22 May; on territory Blue Mt 25 May (JC). E. Kingbird: 2 LA 26 Apr (DL), early CLIN. N. Shrike: 6 reports, last Elizabethtown 3 Apr (J&PT). Yellow-throated Vireo: arr LA 25 May (MDM,MM), only report. Philadelphia Vireo: singing m Rooster Comb Railhead 26 May (J&PT), only report. Gray Jay: FB; PS; max 3-4 Upper Saranac L feeder 1 Mar (CD). Blue Jay: 42 banded CP 9-24 May, with heavy return flight. Tree Swallow: max 60 LA 25 Apr (DL), but numbers down TL (CD). Barn Swallow: 15 banded + 7 returns CP, but none under Moody bridge, TL for first time (CD). Boreal Chickadee: Chubb R; Raquette L; SB, usual sites. Tufted Titmouse: AP; CH; Elizabethtown; Essex; LP; Plattsburgh; PtF; Ray Brook; SL; Witherbee, only suggestive of current distribution. Carolina Wren: CH 28 Mar (NO), still a challenge to find, BicknelPs Thrush: arr Blue Mt 25 May (JC). Am. Robin: apparent dark T.m. nigrideus in flock of 50+ T.m. migratorius Hudson Hall, SUNY Plattsburgh crabapples 11 Mar (BK), a 288 lighter-mantled robin also present; schizochroic robin PtF 30 Apr, 8-10 May (SJ,BK, photo), left chest & belly white, right with red stripe on chest & partial red belly band, large white patches & spots on wings, back & tail white, except charcoal gray central rectrices; leucistic robin CP 10 May (GH). N. Mockingbird: Plattsburgh had at least 5 different birds (JH,BK), but none found elsewhere. Am. Pipit: arr 3 IL 26 Apr (M&WM); last CR 25 May (MDM,MM). Bohemian Waxwing: 36 Peru 2 Mar (EF); 24 CH 3 Mar (NO); 13 Plattsburgh 13 Mar (TA); 21 NP 22 Mar (MDM); Westport 23 Mar (J&PT); 23 LP 30 Mar (PO); max 100 SUNY Plattsburgh 1 Apr (JH); ending invasion that began 28 Oct ‘07. WARBLERS Golden-winged Warbler: Spring Pd Bog 16 May (NO,MS), 11* FRAN record. Yellow-rumped Warbler: max 52 banded CP 9-19 May. “Western” Palm Warbler: 6 banded CP 9-11 May, but only location. “Yellow” Palm Warbler: transient LA 25 Apr (DL); territorial birds PS 2-20 May (BM); max 3 PS 11 May (J&PT); BB 6 May (LM); SB IS¬ IS May (CD, JN). Bay-breasted Warbler: arr PtF 21 May (DL); Raquette L 28 May (GL). Blackpoll Warbler: arr CP 17 May (ET); Blue Mt, Hurricane Mt, Lyon Mt 25 May (JC,JH,J&PT); banded CP 26 May. Wilson’s Warbler: banded CP 21 May, only report. TANAGERS - WEAVERS HENSLOW’S SPARROW: 2 seen & heard Teboville Rd, Owls Head 15 May (JT,RS), U' FRAN & 2"“^ Region 7 record. Fox Sparrow: arr Elizabethtown 31 Mar (JP); subsequent records Keene, LP, Pt Kent, SL, TL, Witherbee. White-crowned Sparrow: arr Inlet 4 May (GL); max 6 Inlet 8 May; 4 banded CP 17-25 May; others Keene, Ticonderoga, West Chazy, & Witherbee. Snow Bunting: last 75 Essex 17 Mar (J&PT). Rusty Blackbird: arr Elizabethtown 20 Mar (J&PT); AP 23 Mar (BK), early CLIN; Elizabethtown 1 May (J&PT); pr French Settlement Rd, Malone 19 May (NR); St, Bernard’s, SL 24 May (TD); somewhat The Kingbird 200S September; 58 (3) encouraging. Com. Crackle: feeding on dead alewives CP 12 May (GH,JP). Pine Grosbeak: 12 XL feeder 5 Mar (CD); 1-5 Elizabethtown feeder 8-13 Mar (JP), in wake of ice storm; ad m same feeder 22 Mar, in wake of windstorm; max 50-60 SUNY Plattsburgh 1 Apr (CH); last XL 7 Apr (CD), ending invasion that began 2 Oct ‘07. Purple Finch; arr m Elizabethtown 12 Apr (JP), increasingly common thereafter. House Finch: CH, Malone, SL, only reports, but surely in Plattsburgh & elsewhere. Com. Redpoll: 3 “Greater” (C./ rostrata) banded Elizabethtown 15-16 Mar & 8 Apr (JP); carefully described “Greater” CH 14 Mar (BK); max -150 Keene feeder Mar (J&PX); last Elizabethtown & Witherbee 16 Apr (JP,CW), ending invasion that began 28 Oct ‘07. Hoary Redpoll: Elizabethtown 10-11 Mar (JP); Xiconderoga 26 Mar (NC); last Elizabethtown 13 Apr (JP), scarcer than C.f. rostrata in this invasion. Pine Siskin: 1-9 Elizabethtown; Peru; PtKent; Xiconderoga; Witherbee May, generally scarce. Am. Goldfinch: max 44 banded CP 10-23 May, widespread, but rather sparse. Evening Grosbeak: max 84 SL 12 Apr (LL), numbers increasing Apr-May with return of breeding birds. ADDENDUM SANDHILL CRANE: 2 West Chazy Nov ’07 (Steve Mahoney), CLIN & 10* Region 7 record.. REGION 8—HUDSON-MOHAWK Will Yandik 269 Schneider Road, Hudson NY 12534 wyandik@hotmail.com Mostly clear conditions and variable temperatures characterize spring 2008. March ended 1.2° F cooler than average with 3.03 more inches of rain than average. The last significant snowstorm of the season, 4.3" at Albany International Airport, fell on the 28th. The Region began to dry out in April, which ended 5.3° warmer than average. Three days topped 80° causing an abrupt jumpstart to the phenology of all manner of plants. May in general was cool and dry. The last frost of the season occurred on the first of the month. A few interesting waterfowl appeared in the Region, including a Greater White-fronted Goose in Schenectady. Few large flocks of Snow Geese landed in the Region, although two large flocks of Brant in May made up for this loss. As usual, sheltered regions of the Hudson River staged good numbers of Canvasback and Redhead. A Eurasian Wigeon at Vosburgh’s Marsh and two Barrow’s Goldeneyes are spring surprises. Susan Scheck spotted a Snowy Egret in Claverack, likely a migrant that flew a bit far north. A single location maximum of 23 Wilson’s Snipe in the same township is unusual for the Region as are Dunlin and Short-billed Dowitchers, The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) 289 both spotted this year. Such species of shorebirds migrate up the Hudson every spring but are often overlooked due to their low abundance. Migration occurred roughly on schedule with few surprises. Many first arrival sightings occur on Saturdays in May, correlating with birders’ free time rather than weather conditions. There were few heavy nocturnal flights; birds instead seemed to trickle into the Region. May Century Runs turned up a few unusual passerine species, including White-eyed Vireo, Hooded Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Vesper Sparrow, and a Clay-Colored Sparrow, in Albany County. Hooded Warblers seemed particularly common this spring, reported from four new locations in the Region. The spring streak of Yellow-headed Blackbirds continues this year, with a report by Alvin Breisch from New Scotland, Albany County. Most populations of birds fluctuate normally, influenced by things such as prey abundance, global weather patterns, disease, and land use changes. Long-term monitoring of Rusty Blackbirds, however, shows a worrisome significant decline in virtually all regions of North America, particularly puzzling since the boreal forest is one of the most stable ecoregions, I take particular interest in tracking this species each spring and have included all Regional observations of this species below. A spectacular winter finch season petered into early spring, with flocks of 100+ Common Redpolls reported and several Pine Siskins and a few lingering Pine Grosbeaks. CONTRIBUTORS Alan Devoe Bird Club monthly sighting reports, Larry Alden, Dave Bairn, Hope Batchellor, Mona Bearor, Hannah Bewsher, Mimi Branch, Alvin Breisch, Gerry Colburn, Frank Conley, Bill Cook, Larry Federman, Corey Finger, David Gibson, Elizabeth Grace, Jane Graves, Bemie Grossman, Richard Guthrie, David Harrison, Ron Harrower, John Hershey, Honey Hollen, Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club's Birdline of Eastern New York, John Kent, Nancy Kern, Eric Krantz, Margaret Krolick, Bill Lee, Alan Mapes, Dave Martin, Andrew Mason, Matt Medler, Roger Miller, Frank Murphy, Gail & Rich Nord, Tom Palmer, Ellen Pemrick, Barb Putnam, Bob Ramonowski, Will Raup, Larry Rowland, John Saville, Susan Scheck, Scott Stoner, Vin Stum, Joan Suriano, Bill & Marion Ulmer, Alison Van Keuren, Brad Walker, Carol & Owen Whitby, Phil Whitney, Allan & Phyllis Wirth, Chad Witko, Will Yandik, Robert Yunick. ABBREVIATIONS AUS - T Austerlitz COLU; BCM - Black Creek Marsh ALBA; CHA - T Chatham COLU; CL - Collins L, T Schnectady SCHE; CLA - T Claverack COLU; COX - T Coxsackie GREE; FtE - T Fort Edwards WASH; HIL - T 290 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) Hillsdale COLU; HR - Hudson River; NIS - T Niskayuna SCHE; PET - T Petersburgh RENS: PI - Papscanee Island RENS; VF - Vischer’s Ferry SARA. WHISTLING-DUCKS - VULTURES GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE; CL 14 Mar (BL). Snow Goose: max 300 HR SARA 13 Mar. Brant: 250 Ramshorn-Livingston P GREE 15 May; max 700 New Baltimore GREE 27 May. Wood Duck: arr Stillwater SARA 8 Mar. EURASIAN WIGEON: Vosburgh Marsh GREE 19 APR. Blue-winged Teal: arr Troy RENS 21 Mar. N. Shoveler: arr COX grasslands 26 Mar. N. Pintail; arr Copake COLU 2 Mar. Green-winged Teal: arr HR SARA 10 Mar. Canvasback: max 125 HR Cheviot COLU 25 Mar. Redhead: max 45 HR Cheviot COLU 25 Mar. Long-tailed Duck; Halfmoon SARA 3-6 Apr; 2 Saratoga L 6 Apr; L George WARR 26 Apr. Barrow’s Goldeneye: Ft. Miller WASH 8 Mar; VF 16 Mar. Red-breasted Merganser: VF 16 Mar; 2 NIS 27 Mar; 3 Meadow'dale ALBA 28 Mar; max 11 Saratoga L 11 Apr. Ruddy Duck: arr CHA 5 Apr. RED-THROATED LOON: 2 Saratoga L 11 Apr. Com. Loon: max 7 Saratoga L 6 Apr. Pied-billed Grebe: arr Schuylerville RENS 8 Mar. Horned Grebe: 3 CL 11-12 Apr; max 8 New Baltimore GREE 11 Apr; Alcove Res ALBA 17 May. Red-necked Grebe: Lock 7 MR 5 Apr; 2 CL 5 Apr; Galway L SARA 27 Apr. Double-crested Cormorant; arr Catskill GREE 25 Mar. Am. Bittern: arr BCM 3 May. Least Bittern: VF 10 May; COX grasslands 25 May, unusual location. Great Egret; arr VF 12 Apr. SNOWY EGRET: CLA 27 Apr (SS). Green Heron: arr Five Rivers ALBA 19 Apr. Black Vulture: 2 Meadowdale ALBA 10-24 Apr; 3 NYS Thruway Exit 24 ALBA 16 Apr; Greenport COLU 30 Apr; HIL 6 May. HAWKS - ALCIDS Osprey: arr CLA 10 Apr. N. Harrier; BCM 15 May. N. Goshawk: Thatcher SP ALBA 15 May. Red-shouldered Hawk: Ballston Spa 21 Mar; SchodackRENS 1 May. Broad-winged Hawk: arr Ballston L SARA 20 Apr. Rough-legged Hawk: max 8 Northumberland SARA 17 Mar. Merlin: Ravena ALBA 6 Mar; max 4 MONT 14 Mar; Greenport COLU 4-5 May; Schodack RENS 10 May. Virginia Rail; arr 2 Rotterdam SCHE 18 Apr. Sora: arr VF 23 Apr, Com. Moorhen: arr BCM 3 May. Am. Coot: arr Cohoes ALBA 25 Mar. Black-bellied Plover: NIS 31 May. Semipalmated Plover; arr VF 15 May. Killdeer: arr Livingston COLU 6 Mar. Greater Yellowlegs: arr PI 12 Apr. Lesser Yellowlegs: arr NIS 3 May. Solitary Sandpiper: arr 5 Rivers ALBA 26 Apr. Spotted Sandpiper: arr CHA 19 Apr. Upland Sandpiper: arr MONT 17 May; Ames MONT 29 May. Ruddy Turnstone: Cohoes ALBA 17 May. Semipalmated Sandpiper: arr Stanton Pd ALBA 17 May. Least Sandpiper: arr PI 8 May. Dunlin: NIS 30 Apr; Watervliet ALBA 17 May; 12 L George WARR 26 May. Short-billed Dowitcher: 40 Round L SARA 25 May. Wilson’s Snipe: arr VF 21 Mar; max 23 CLA 3 Apr, high count. Am. Woodcock: arr Livingston COLU 6 Mar. Bonaparte’s Gull: 13 Saratoga L SARA 11 Apr; 15 VF 12 Apr; CL 12 Apr; 30+ NIS 29 Apr. Lesser Black-backed Gull: COX 3 Apr. Com. Tern: Saratoga L 17 May. Black Tern: 5 Saratoga L 17 May. PIGEONS - WOODPECKERS Black-billed Cuckoo: BCM 17 May. Yellow-billed Cuckoo; 2 Ramshorn- Livingston P 15 May. Short-eared Owl: COX grasslands 12 Mar. Com. Nighthawk: 2 Albany 20 May. Whip-poor-will: 3 Coeymans ALBA 26 May. Chimney Swift: arr 5 Rivers ALBA 1 May. Ruby-throated Hummingbird: arr Troy RENS 4 May. The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) 291 FLYCATCHERS—WAXWINGS Olive-sided Flycatcher: arr Beme ALBA 5 May. E. Wood-Pewee: arr HIL 16 May. Alder Flycatcher: arr Rensselaerville RENS 11 May. Willow Flycatcher: arr BCM 15 May. Least Flycatcher: arr PET 27 Apr. E. Phoebe: arr VF 23 Mar. Great Crested Flycatcher: arr Austerlitz 5 May. E. Kingbird: arr CL 1 May. N. Shrike: Charlton SARA 9 Mar; CHA 14 Mar; MONT 14 Mar. White-eyed Vireo: Glenville SCHE 21 May (LR). Yellow-throated Vireo: arr Austerlitz COLU 5 May. Blue-headed Vireo: arr Meadowdale ALBA 19 Apr. Warbling Vireo: arr VF 27 Apr. Philadelphia Vireo; Wilton SARA 24 May. Red-eyed Vireo; arr Taghkanic COLU 23 Apr. Purple Martin: Saratoga L 17 May. N. Rough-winged Swallow: arr CL 11 Apr. Bank Swallow: arr CLA 19 Apr. Cliff Swallow: arr CL 2 May. Barn Swallow: arr Saratoga L 11 Apr. House Wren: arr Albany 20 Apr. Marsh Wren: arr BCM 3 May. Ruby-crowned Kinglet: arr CLA 29 Mar. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: arr HIL 10 Apr. Veery: arr VF 3 May. Swainson’s Thrush: arr HIL 3 May. Hermit Thrush: arr CLA 10 Apr. Wood Thrush: arr PI 3 May. Gray Catbird: arr Troy RENS 23 Apr. Brown Thrasher: arr Livingston COLU 13 Apr. Am. Pipit: Rensselaerville RENS 3 May. BOHEMIAN WAXWING: 3 FtE 3 Apr. WARBLERS Blue-winged Warbler: arr Livingston COLU 24 Apr. “Brewster’s” Warbler: 5 Rivers ALBA 25 May. Golden-winged Warbler: Wilton SARA 24 May. Tennessee Warbler: arr Albany 22 May. Orange-Crowned Warbler: Bennett Hill ALBA 22 May. Nashville Warbler: arr Clermont COLU 29 Apr. N. Parula: arr HIL 3 May. 292 Yellow Warbler: arr VF 22 Apr. Chestnut-sided Warbler: arr PET 27 Apr. Magnolia Warbler: arr Clermont COLU 7 May. Cape May Warbler: arr COLU 17 May. Black-throated Blue Warbler; arr VF 3 May. Yellow-rumped Warbler: arr Churchtown COLU 27 Mar. Black-throated Green Warbler: arr Gallatin COLU 19 Apr. Blackburnian Warbler: arr Germantown COLU 8 May. Pine Warbler: arr NIS 13 Apr. Prairie Warbler; arr Schodack RENS 7 May. Palm Warbler: arr Greenport COLU 15 Apr. Blackpoll Warbler: arr Schodack RENS 10 May. Cerulean Warbler: arr Schodack I RENS 8 May. Black-and-white Warbler: arr Gallatin COLU 19 Apr. Am. Redstart: arr PI 3 May. Worm-eating Warbler: Coeymans ALBA 17 May. Ovenbird; arr Clermont COLU 6 May. N. Waterthrush: air Taghkanic COLU 10 Apr. Louisiana Waterthrush: arr PET 15 Apr. Mourning Warbler: Mayfield FULT 26 May; PET 31 May. Com. Yellowthroat: arr Saratoga L 20 Apr. Hooded Warbler; New Salem RENS 15 May; Clarksville ALBA 15 May; New Scotland ALBA 17 May; Thatcher SP ALBA 17 May. Wilson’s Warbler: arr 5 Rivers ALBA 10 May. Canada Warbler; arr VF 15 May. TANAGERS - WEAVERS Scarlet Tanager: arr Greenport COLU 7 May. E. Towhee: arr HIL 13 Apr. Chipping Sparrow: arr Voorheesville ALBA 13 Apr. CLAY-COLORED SPARROW: Brunswick RENS 21 May (BW), photographed. Field Sparrow: arr Saratoga Battlefield SARA 10 Apr. Vesper Sparrow: arr Northumberland SARA 16 Mar. Savannah Sparrow: arr Greenport COLU 16 Apr. Grasshopper Sparrow: Saratoga Airport SARA 16 May. Fox Sparrow: arr Austerlitz COLU 4 Mar. Lincoln’s Sparrow: arr VF 8 May. The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) White-crowned Sparrow: arr Schodack RENS 16 Apr. Snow Bunting: max 40 Gansevoort SARA 11 Mar; last New Salem RENS 15 Apr. Rose-breasted Grosbeak: arr Colonie ALBA 27 Apr. Indigo Bunting: arr Austerlitz COLU 12 May. Bobolink: arr Taghkanic COLU 5 May. E. Meadowlark: arr CHA 5 Apr. YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD: New Scotland ALBA 27 Mar (AB). Rusty Blackbird: arr New Baltimore GREE 6 Mar; VF 27 Mar; NIS 1 Apr; max 30 VF 3 Apr; 2 Rensellaerville RENS 13 Apr; PI 17 Apr; Black Creek Marsh ALBA 20 Apr; 9 COX grasslands 22 Apr; 3 Black Creek Marsh ALBA 24 Apr; VF 27 Apr; pr Mayfield FULT 26 May, all reports. Orchard Oriole: arr Charlton, SARA 4 May. Baltimore Oriole: arr VF 27 Apr. Pine Grosbeak: 12 Ballston Spa SARA 6 Mar; 2 Troy RENS 9 Mar. Com. Redpoll: max 100 Glens Falls WARR 3 Apr; max 100 Providence SARA 3 Apr; last Galway SARA 13 Apr. Pine Siskin: 2 Gansevoort SARA 7 Apr; 2 Galway SARA 21 Apr; PET 27 Apr; 3 Loudonville ALBA 5 May; max 15 South Glens Falls WARR 5 May; 12 Troy RENS 20 May; E Greenbush RENS 21 May. Evening Grosbeak: 6 Providence SARA 6 Apr; 6 Ballston L SARA 20 Apr; 4 Galway SARA 30 Apr. CORRIGENDA The January 2007 (57:1) R8 report mentions 8 Hudsonian Godwits collected by the NYDEC wildlife pathology unit. Contrary to reports by this publication, WAMC radio, and the Albany Times Union, these specimens have not been preserved in the NYS museum. REGION 9—HUDSON - DELAWARE Michael Bochnik 86 Empire Street, Yonkers, NY 10704 The season started with a ten inch snowfall in Sullivan County on 1 March. It was quickly followed by an unusual warm spell 3-6 March, with Poughkeepsie reaching 69° F on the fifth. Most of the Region then saw little additional snow. March ended up wet, with about 1.5" of precipitation above the norm. April was warm and dry, 3° above normal and an inch of precipitation less than average. May was cold, wet, and windy. Drizzle and low cloud cover on 2-3 May produced a good fallout at Bashakill marsh. Many first of the year migrants were seen then. Two Greater White-fronted Geese were found in Pine Plains 9 March, another was located in Round Pond, Town of North East, 18 and 19 March. A Cackling Goose found in Rockland Lake by Drew Ciganek and Gene Brown on 18 March and seen again on the 22*^^^ produced Rockland’s first county record since it became a full species. A Trumpeter Swan was photographed by Curt McDermot at the Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge and stayed for three days in mid April. Tundra Swans were reported from four locations during March, with nine on Oil City Road 16 March. Both Surf and White-winged Scoter were The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) 293 found inland, but there were no reports of Black Scoter even from Long Island Sound. Homed Grebes seemed to be everywhere in March and early April. A staggering 74 were found at the Edith G. Read Preserve on 5 April. Red-necked Grebes were found at Bashakill, Edith G. Read Preserve, Chelsea, and Pine Island. Dave Klauber found an adult MISSISSIPPI KITE on Sunday 25 May at 10:25 AM at the northern end of the Bashakill, Bob May refound the bird overhead at Haven Road an hour later, and John Haas, Ari Gilbert, and Arlene Borko were also able to view Sullivan County’s third record (see Fig D, p. 262). Sandhill Crane sightings are on the increase. Joe Cullen found one at the Bashakill on 26 April. It remained for about two hours and many birders were fortunate to see this bird. It eventually took to the air and headed north. It was Sullivan County’s second record. The sighting was repeated at Bashakill on 3 and 4 May, when another Sandhill Crane appeared. The following day. Curt McDermot found two Sandhills nearby on Oil City Road in Pine Plains. A number of Upland Sandpipers were found away from Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge. Three were at Montgomery Airport on 2 April and another bird was in Westchester County in Rye the same day. The following day one appeared off McDonald Road in Wurtsboro. There was a rash of Bonaparte’s Gulls inland from the beginning of April through mid May. Rodney Johnson had an early passerine fallout on 19 April on Hilltop Road in Rhinebeck. It included two Nashville, one Magnolia, 25 Yellow-mmped, seven Blackburnian, six Pine, and 20 Palm warblers. A Mourning Warbler was unusually early at Bashakill on 3 May, observed by many people. A Summer Tanager was found in Wurtsboro 29 April for Sullivan County’s first record and another was found in Pleasant Valley on 10 May. A birder who decided to delay mowing until late June to encourage Bobolinks in Pine Plains, Dutchess County was rewarded with a Grasshopper Sparrow on 14 May. Another Grasshopper Sparrow was found with the Upland Sandpiper in Wurtsboro on 3 April. A number of White-crowned Sparrows were reported this spring from Poughkeepsie, Vassar Farm, Bashakill, and Rockland Lake. The Dutchess County Spring Census recorded 161 species on 17 May. Species with new high counts included: Red-tailed Hawk, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Common Raven, Dark-eyed Junco, and Orchard Oriole. Hooded Warbler tied their highest count. Wilson’s Warbler and Vesper Sparrow counts were very high. 16 Pine Siskins were the first since 2001. The warbler species count was 28, which is average. Mallard and Belted Kingfisher had low counts, and no American Black Ducks were found. And to round out the report, the incredibly accommodating Montgomery HOARY REDPOLL stayed until at least 22 March. Other notable species 294 The Kingbird 200S September; 58 (3) include: Red Knot, “Lawrence’s” Warbler, Lapland Longspur, Common Redpoll, and Evening Grosbeak. CONTRIBUTORS Jane Alexander, Janet Allison, John Askildsen, Steven Beal, Kelli Bochnik, Michael Bochnik, Arlene Borko, Bob Bowler, Gene Brown, Tom Burke, Barbara Butler, Brent Bomkamp, Benjamin Cacace, Drew Ciganek, Mary Collier, Joe Cullen, Renee Davis, Ed DeBellevue, Evan Edelbaum, Ken & Sue Feustel, Bill Fiero, Dot Fleury, Carol & Ken Fredericks, Valerie Freer, Steve Golladay, Marge Gorton, Christine Guarino, Richard Guthrie, John Haas, Philip Henson, Rodney Johnson, David Jordet, Susan Joseph, Bonnie Koop, Debi Krai, Veronika Krause, Kirsten Lewis, Robert Lewis, Jim Marks, Curt McDermot, Ken McDermott, Matthew Medler, Barbara & Allan Michelin, Steve Oresman, Brian O'Rourke, Amy Pickering, Carena Pooth, Greg Prelich, Steve Sachs, William Schlesinger, Rob Stone, Kenneth Thompson, Lance Verderame, Chet Vincent, Jane Waters, Carol Weiss, Joe Woleader, Adam Zorn. ABBREVIATIONS CPP - Croton Point Park; DCSC - Dutchess County Spring Census; EGR - Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary; MC - Marshlands Conservancy; SGNWR - Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refiige; WNWR - Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge. WHISTLING-DUCKS - VULTURES Greater White-fronted Goose: 2 Pine Plains 9 Mar (TB,CV); Round Pd, North East 18,19 Mar (DF). Snow Goose: blue morph Unionvale 19, 20 Mar; 1200 Piermont Marsh 28 Mar. CACKLING GOOSE: Rockland L 18,22 Mar (DC, GB), first county record. Canada Goose: 1500 WNWR5 Mar. Brant: 520 Bashakill 11 May; 600 MC 11 May; 3 Piermont Pier 27 May. Tundra Swan: Stissing L 9 Mar (TB,DK,CV); Round Pd, North East 11 Mar - 1 Apr (CV,K&CF, DF, MP); 9 Oil City Rd 16 Mar (KM,CM); Amenia 20-25 Mar (SO). Trumpeter: ph WNWR, Pine Island 15-17 Apr (CM). Blue-winged Teal: 2 Oil City Rd 16 Mar; 2 Round Pd, North East 20 Mar. The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) N. Pintail: 40 Bashakill 15 Mar; 225 WNWR16Mar. Green-winged Teal: 45 6 y 2 -Station Marsh 16 Mar. Canvasback: 19 EGR 3, 4 Mar; Bashakill 15, 22 Mar. Redhead: 42 Warwick 2 Mar. Ring-necked Duck; 300 Bashakill 14 Mar; 300 WNWR16 Mar; 120 Newburgh 16 Mar; 600 Bashakill 22Mar; 300 Yankee L I Apr. Greater Scaup; 20 EGR 15 Mar. Lesser Scaup: 200 EGR 3,7,15,22,26,29 Mar; 24 EGR 18 Apr. Surf Scoter: 10 EGR 15 Mar; Yankee L 11 Apr; 12 EGR 7 Apr. White-winged Scoter: Kiamesha L 12 Apr; 2 Kiamesha L 8 May. 295 Long-tailed Duck: 140 EGR 15 Mar; 2 Bashakill 5 Apr; 4 Neversink Res 7 Apr; 2 Yankee L 8, 11 Apr; 60 EGR 13 Apr. Bufflehead: 15 EGR 5 Apr. Com. Goldeneye: 10 EGR 12 Mar. Red-breasted Merganser: 30 EGR 5 Apr; 1-2 Kiamesha L 11-12 Apr. Ring-necked Pheasant: 1-2 MC thru. Red-throated Loon: 9 EGR 15 Mar. Pied-billed Grebe: Bashakill 14 Mar. Horned Grebe: Waryas P, Poughkeepsie 5 Mar; Piermont Pier 10 Mar; Bashakill 14, 15 Mar; 5 Washington L, Newburgh 16 Mar; 2-3 Sylvan L, Beekman 20-21 Mar; 5 Bashakill 22- 23 Mar; 6 Bashakill 28 Mar; 28 EGR 29 Mar; 1-2 Yankee L 30 Mar,l, 6 Apr; 74 EGR 5 Apr; 3 Kiamesha L 11 Apr; 3 Orange L 14 Apr. Red-necked Grebe: Bashakill 17 Mar; EGR 6, 7 Apr; Chelsea 15,18 Apr; Pine Island 16 Apr. N. Gannett EGR 15 Mar; 9 EGR 22 Mar; 20 EGR 7 Apr. Great Cormorant: 2 Rhinebeck 19 Mar. Am, Bittern: 3 Bashakill 26 Apr. Great Egret: MC 16 Mar; Humpo Marsh 12 Apr; Dennings Pt 16 Apr; 10 MC 11 May. Snowy Egret: MC 16 Apr. Black Vulture: 7 Pine Island, Oil City Rd area 2 Mar. HAWKS-ALCIDS MISSISSIPPI KITE: ad Bashakill 25 May, 3^^* SULL record. Bald Eagle; nest Stony Point Battlefield Mar- May. N. Goshawk: Buttercup Sanctuary 27 Mar; Westbrookville 3 May. Broad-winged Hawk: arr 9 Apr; 420 Hook Mt 13 Apr. Red-tailed Hawk: 97 DCSC 17 May. Rough-legged Hawk: 6 Pine Island, Oil City Rd area 2 Mar; 4 SGNWR 2 Mar. Golden Eagle: 1 ad, 1 imm Ellenville 5 Mar; Rhinebeck 6 Apr; Piermont Pier 28 May. Clapper Rail: 6 MC 29 May. Sora: Bashakill 4, 8,10 May. Com. Moorhen: Bashakill 2 May; 3 Bashakill 5 May. Sandhill Crane: Bashakill 26 Apr (JC); 2 Oil City Rd, Pine 1. 1, 5 May (CM); Bashakill 3,4 May (RD, MG). Black-bellied Plover: 7 MC 20 May. Semipalmated Plover: 6 MC 18 May. Am. Oystercatcher; 2 EGR 7, 9 Apr; 5 Rye 21 Apr; 5 MC 1 May; 3 Rye 27 May. Greater Yellowlegs: 22 MC 6 May. 296 Lesser Yellowlegs: Oil City Rd 15, 19 Apr; 2 Bashakill 30 Apr - 2 May; Piermont Pier 27 May. Willet; MC 1 May. Upland Sandpiper: 3 Montgomery Airport 2 Apr (CM); Rye 2 May (TB), McDonald Rd, Wurtsboro 3 May (JH); 2 SGNWR 17 May. Ruddy Turnstone: arr 16 May; Piermont Pier 27 May (GB). Red Knot: 2 Rye 23 May. Semipalmated Sandpiper: 6 MC 8 May. Least Sandpiper: 16 MC 16 May. Pectoral sandpiper; 5 Oil City Rd 17-19 Apr; 2 Bashakill 11 May. Purple Sandpiper: 35 EGR 15 Mar; 14 Rye 23 May. Dunlin: 2 Oil City Rd 17-19 Apr. Laughing Gull: 3 MC 14 May. Bonaparte's Gull: 4 Yankee L 1 Apr; Bashakill 5,14 Apr; 40 EGR 5,6 Apr; 6 Yankee L 6, 11 Apr; Humpo Marsh 12 Apr; 5 Dennings Pt 16 Apr; 2 Poughkeepsie 29 Apr; 7 Westbrookville 3 May; 68 Bridgeville, over the Neversink River 11 May. Caspian Tern: 5 6-1/2-Station Rd. Goshen 12 Apr. Com. Tern: 80 Rye 13 May. Forster’s Tern: 2 MG 19 Apr; 7 MC 1 May; 2 MC 18 May. Least Tern: 3 MC 15 May. PIGEONS - WOODPECKERS Monk Parakeet: MC 25 Apr; 2 EGR 23 May. Yellow-billed Cuckoo: arr 4 May. Long-eared Owl: 3 CPP 1-2,15 Mar. N. Saw-whet Owl; Stanfdville 6 Mar; Wappingers 24 Apr. Com, Nighthawk: arr 10 May. Whip-poor-will: arr Bashakill 26 Apr. Ruby-throated Hummingbird: 46 DCSC 17 May. FLYCATCHERS - WAXWINGS Olive-sided Flycatcher; Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook 10 May; 2 Doodletown 17, 24 May. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher; Doodletown 28 May. Acadian Flycatcher: Bashakill 10, 18 May. Alder Flycatcher; 2 Wurtsboro 17 May. E. Phoebe; Marshlands 1 Mar. N. Shrike; 1-2 Bashakill 6, 15 Mar; Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook 15 Mar; Vassar Farm 23 Mar. White-eyed Vireo; arr 2 May. Blue-headed Vireo: arr Millbrook 18 Apr. The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) Philadelphia Vireo: Hastings-on-Hudson 10 May; Westmoreland Sanctuary 10 May; Doodletown 14 May. Com. Raven: 19 DCSC 17 May. Horned Lark: 60 Stanford 2 Mar. Tree Swallow: Bashakill 6 Mar. Bank Swallow: 12 Roundout Res 8 May. Cliff Swallow: 25 Roundout Res 8 May. Marsh Wren: Ryder Pond, Millbrook 16 Mar, early; 2 Tivoli 25 Apr; Bashakill 4, 24 May; 4 MC 6 May. Gray-cheeked Thrush: Westmoreland Sanctuary 23 May. Gray Catbird: arr north 14 Mar. Am. Pipit: 7 McDonald Rd, Wurtsboro 3 May; WARBLERS Blue-winged Warbler: arr 24 Apr. Golden-winged Warbler: Mine Rd, Highland Falls 2,24 May; McDonald Rd, Wurtsboro 4, 8 May; Summitville 11 May; 7 Sterling Forest 25 May. “Lawrence’s” Warbler: Tivoli Bay 26 Apr; Ellenville 2 May; Bashakill 10,14 May. Nashville Warbler: 2 Rhinebeck 19 Apr. Magnolia Warbler: Rhinebeck 19 Apr. Cape May Warbler: Rye Nature Center 7 May; Stony Point Battlefield 11 May; 2 Millbrook School 14 May; 2 Millbrook 15 May; 2 Port Jervis 15 May. Black-throated Blue Warbler: 15 Bashakill 2 May; 7 Pawling Preserve 11 May. Yellow-rumped Warbler: 25 Rhinebeck 19 Apr. Blackburnian Warbler: 7 Rhinebeck 19 Apr (RJ). Pine Warbler: 6 Rhinebeck 19 Apr (RJ). Prairie Warbler: arr 29 Apr. Palm Warbler: 25 Tarrytown Res 13 Apr (EE); 20 Rhinebeck 19 Apr (RJ). Cerulean Warbler; arr Doodletown 2 May. Worm-eating Warbler: arr Beekman 25-27 Apr. Ovenbird: 20 Pawling Preserve 11 May (C&KF). N. Waterthrush: 8 Rockland L SP 19 May. Louisiana Waterthrush; arr 6 Apr. Mourning Warbler; Bashakill 3 May( JH, mob), early; Doodletown 24 May; Bashakill 26 May; MC 30 May. The Kingbird 200^ September; 58 (3) Hooded Warbler: arr 2 May; 13 DCSC 17 May. Wilson’s Warbler: 11 DCSC 17 May. Yellow-breasted Chat; Brinton Brook Sanctuary 7 May (PH). TANAGERS - WEAVERS SUMMER TANAGER: Wurtsboro 29 Apr (JH, AB, RD,MG), SULL record; Pleasant Valley 10 May (BBow). Am. Tree Sparrow: 80 CPP 1 Mar; last MC Apr 14. Vesper Sparrow: 4 DCSC 17 May. Grasshopper Sparrow: McDonald Rd, Wurtsboro 3, 4 May; 1-2 Pine Plains 14-20 May. Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow: MC 11 May. Seaside Sparrow: MC 18,20 May. Song Sparrow; 36 CPP 1 Mar. White-crowned Sparrow: Bashakill 13 Apr; Poughkeepsie 25 Apr; 3 Vassar Farm 27 Apr; few Bashakill 2 May; 2 Rockland L 7 May; Bashakill 20 May. Dark-eyed Junco; 8 DCSC 17 May. Lapland Longspur: 3 Montgomery 3 Mar; Ashokan Reservoir 3 Mar (JM). Red-winged Blackbird: 1000 WNWR5 Mar; 1200 SGNWR 6 Mar. E. Meadowlark: arr 12 May. Rusty Blackbird: 25 Bashakill 15 Mar. blackbird sp: 25,000 Montgomery Airport 5 Mar (CM). Orchard Oriole: arr 24 Apr; more on 3 May at sev loc; 26 DCSC 17 May. Baltimore Oriole: Newburgh 20 Apr. Purple Finch: huge flight over Rhinebeck 11, 12 Apr; 23 Milan 12 Apr; 15 Poughquag 12 Apr; 32 Stanfordville 12 Apr. Com. Redpoll: 14 Montgomery 1-3 Mar; 3 Yonkers 14 Mar; Highland Falls 16 Apr; many scattered reports from Dutchess and Sullivan most of March, few thru mid Apr. HOARY REDPOLL: Montgomery 1-5, 17, 22 Mar (CM, MB,fCB). Pine Siskin: small fight moving back north on 2-4 May; still present Bashakill 10 May; 16 DCSC 17 May. Evening Grosbeak: 12 Kauneonga L early Mar; 19 Kauneonga L early Apr; 4 Parksville 25 Apr. 297 REGION 10—MARINE Patricia J. Lindsay 28 Mystic Circle, Bay Shore, NY 11706 pjlindsay@optonline.net S. S. Mitra Biology Department, College Staten Island, 2800 Victory Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10314 mitra@mail.csi.cuny.edu March’s mean temperature was 40.3°F, 0.5° above normal. Precipitation was 1.3" higher than average, with 5.89" of rain. April was 2.2° warmer than average at 51.3°, and 3.87" of rain was 0.26" less than normal. Mean temperature for May was 57°, 2.2° below average, and 3.68" rain was 0.22" less than average. Fellow birder and keen weather watcher Bob Kurtz keeps track of “leaf- out” dates year to year, and found that this spring it was actually behind schedule (relatively speaking) for a change, until ... “a major change occurred from April 10*^ to the 26th. In that 17 day period not only was there no rain in the local environs, there were above normal temperatures and sun, sun, sun— think desert southwest! In that period leaf-out went from at least one week behind schedule to at least 10 days ahead of schedule, a ghastly circumstance to say the least!” Despite that warm spell, easterly winds persisted and many observers bemoaned the slow birding during April. As usual, this spring featured many notable holdovers from winter, especially among waterfowl. The Stony Brook Pink-footed Goose persisted into March, as did a number of Greater White-fronted Geese, the Montauk Barnacle Goose, a “Richardson’s” Goose, and multiple Eurasian Wigeon and “Eurasian” Green-winged Teal. Maxing out the goose diversity were the Region’s first Ross’s Goose in several years, at Shorts Pond on 2 March, and a stunning adult “Black” Brant along Staten Island’s Raritan Bay shore 30 March-6 April. Two vagrant landbirds evinced a striking and probably under-appreciated ecological interaction: lower Manhattan’s continuing Scott’s Oriole and Central Park’s Western Tanager both associated closely with Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and fed avidly from fresh sap wells. (Fig. B, p. 260). Offhand, we can recall a couple of Cape May Warblers behaving in the same fashion during winter in the Northeast. Given the increasing abundance of wintering sapsuckers here, observers might consider lingering a little longer with sapsuckers they find from November through March. The status of many short-distance migrants in our Region during early spring is changing as a consequence of two ongoing trends; increasing over¬ winter survival of species that rarely wintered in the past and earlier arrival dates 298 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) of genuine northbound migrants. Careful perusal of the species accounts will reveal numerous records during periods when the species in question were formerly completely absent. Some very high counts of both scaup at Jamaica Bay during mid March were independently corroborated by multiple observers. Peter Dorosh gave careful attention to numbers on the 11th and 16th, as did the writers on the 17th. At least 5,000 Lesser Scaup were present on the West Pond alone, with many more on the East Pond and at other Long Island sites. Focus on the Grumman grasslands increased as the battle over this area’s fate heated up. Short-eared Owls lingered into mid April (Fig. D, p. 262), raising hopes that this state-listed species and former Long Island nester might attempt to breed there. Two Upland Sandpipers seen there in mid May also raised hopes for this beleaguered Regional breeder. Ameriean Kestrel, Horned Lark, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Eastern Meadowlark, although less rare, also represent local breeders at this site whose habitat prospects are shrinking in the Region. The grasslands also attracted a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, found on 18 May by Bob McGrath. There were no fallouts of Indigo Buntings, Blue Grosbeaks, etc. this spring on the barrier beaches, but a territorial male Blue Grosbeak was present once again in the Calverton area. On the opposite fringe of their species’ breeding range, late lingering Red Crossbills in East Hampton and Flanders suggested possible breeding, but no nesting activity was confirmed. Other rarities, not mentioned above, included Seth Wollney’s pet Western Grebe at Staten Island; a Wilson’s Plover photographed by Mike Bottini at Napeague; two Black-necked Stilts found by Karen Rubinstein at Hook Pond on the exceptional date of 14 March; two Mississippi Kites, reflecting an exceptional incursion this year; a confiding Red Phalarope at Shinnecoek Inlet, found by Joe DiCostanzo et aL; a probable Thick-billed Murre seen at great range by Lloyd and Sandy Spitalnik at Jones Beach; a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at Pelham Bay Park on 5 May; and a Painted Bunting at Cindy Wodinski’s consistently productive feeders in Cedarhurst on 6 May. CONTRIBUTORS Bob Adamo, Ken Allaire, Deb Allen, Debora Amos, Ron Armitage, John Askildsen, Seth Ausubel, Rudy Badia, Andy Baldelli, Catherine Barron, Robert Bate, Willie & Gerry Becker, Leslie Beebe, Gail Benson, Sue & Jim Benson, Mike Bergin, Bob & Janice Berlingeri, Steve Biasetti, Andrew Block, Shane Blodgett, Kelli Bochnik, Mike Bochnik, Ardith Bondi, Joe Borker, Mike Bottini, Thomas Brown, John Brush Jr., John Brush Sr., David Burg, Thomas W. Burke, Vicki Bustamante, Ben Cacace, Raphael Campos, Isabel Conte, Mike Cooper, Ed Coyle, Ed Crowne, Evan Cutler, Robert DeCandido, Joe DiCostanzo, Barbara DiPietro, Peter Dorosh, Trish Duffett, Tom Dulski, Dale Dyer, Dave The Kingbird 200^ September; 58 (3) 299 Eib, Mary Eyster, Charlie Fallon, Mike Farina, Ken & Sue Feustel, Corey Finger, Tom Fiore, Howard Fischer, Brendan Fogarty, John & Gerta Fritz, Doug Futuyma, Yolanda Garcia, Klemens Gasser, Arie Gilbert, Paul Gillen, Joe Giunta, John Gluth, Douglas Gochfeld, Edith Goren, Juliette Goulet, Isaac Grant, Robert Grover, Liz Haberkom, Marge Hanaver, Mike Higgiston, Ken Homan, Joel & Peg Horman, Bruce Horwith, Laura Jacobs, Sam Jannazzo, Phil Jeffrey, Rob Jett, Ed Johnson, Patrick Jones, Rich Kelly, Dave Klauber, Kathryn Klecan, Norm Klein, Robert J. Kurtz, Tony Lance, David LaPuma, Anthony J. Lauro, Nick Laviola, Patricia J. Lindsay, Kirsten Lewis, Jean Loscalzo, Evan Marks, Bob May, Betsy McCully, Rob McGinness, Rich McGovern, Robert McGrath, Hugh McGuinness, Jack Meyer, Eric Miller, Shaibal S. Mitra, Tom Morgan, Steve Nanz, Jeff Nulle, James Phillip O’Brien, Jim Osterlund, Phil Pane, Robert O. Paxton, Matt Pelikan, Sarah Plimpton, Steve Plust, Pat Pollack, Peter Post, Tom Preston, Joan Quinlan, Ian Resnick, Jeff Ritter, Pauline Rosen, Barbara Rubinstein, Karen Rubinstein, Eric Salzman, Starr Saphir, Gerard Savaresse, Sy Schiff, Donna Schulman, Eileen Schwinn, John Sep, Mike Shanley, Ann Shaw, Sean Sime, Lloyd & Sandy Spitalnik, Carl Starace, Sally Swain, Ken Thompson, Joe Trezza, Richard Veit, Steve Walter, Scott Whittle, Gabriel Willow, Alex Wilson, Angus Wilson, Cindy Wodinsky, A1 Wollin, Seth Wollney, Mike Zablocky. ABBREVIATIONS IS - 1st summer plumage; IW - 1st winter plumage; lY - 1st year plumage; 2S - 2nd summer plumage; 2Y - 2nd year plumage; alt - alternate plumage; Amagansett - Amagansett, T EH SUFF; APP - Alley Pond P QUEE; BHP - Blue Heron P RICH; CaPd - Capri Pd, W. Islip SUFF; CCP - Cupsogue County P SUFF; CHP - Conference House P RICH; CLP - Clove Lakes P RICH; CP - Central P NEWY; CRSPP - Connetquot R SP Preserve SUFF; DOP ~ Dreier Offerman P KING; EH - East Hampton SUFF; EPd - Eastport Pd., Eastport SUFF; FP - Forest P QUEE; FT - Fort Tilden QUEE; GCP - Gardiner CP, T Islip SUFF; Gilgo - Gilgo Beach, T Babylon SUFF; GKP - Great Kills P RICH; Grumman - former Grumman property, Calverton SUFF; HG - Hunters Garden, T Eastport SUFF; HLSP - Hempstead L SP NASS; IHP - Inwood Hill P NEWY; Jam Bay - Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge QUEE/KING; JBSP - Jones Beach SP NASS; JBWE - Jones Beach SP West End NASS; LCP - Lemon Creek P RICH; LI - Long Island; Mass - Massapequa Preserve NASS; MB - Mecox Bay SUFF; migr - migrant, migrating; MLUA - Mt Loretto Unique Area RICH; MP - Montauk Pt SUFF; Mtk - Montauk, T EH SUFF; NRSP - Nissequogue R SP SUFF; PB - Pike’s Beach, Westhampton SUFF; PBP - Pelham Bay P KING; PL - Pt Lookout NASS; PP - Prospect Park KING; RMSP - Robert Moses SP SUFF; Sagg - Sagaponack Pd SUFF; Shinn - Shinnecock In SUFF; ShPd - Shorts Pd, Bridgehampton SUFF; SMSP - Sunken Meadow SP SUFF; SSNC - South Shore Nature Center, E. Islip SUFF; SY - 300 The Kingbird 200^ September; 58 (3) 2nd year plumage; Tobay - John F. Kennedy Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary, T Oyster Bay NASS; TRiCP - Terrell R CP SUFF; VCP - Van Cortland P BRON; VSSP - Valley Stream SP NASS; WPP - Wolfe’s Pd P RICH. WHISTLING-DUCKS-VULTURES PINK-FOOTED GOOSE; Stony Brook Mill Pd SUFF thru 13 Mar, from winter. Greater White-fronted Goose: Hendrickson P, Valley Stream NASS thru 2 Mar, from winter; Silver L Preserve RICH thru 3 Mar, from winter; Mass 2-9 Mar, from winter; Calverton SUFF 9 Mar (BA). Snow Goose: 29 ShPd 5 Mar (GaB, PJL); max 2000 Jam Bay 17 Mar inc 7 blue morph. ROSS’S GOOSE (RIO); ShPd 2 Mar (PJL, SSM!) to 9 Mar. Cackling Goose: 2 ShPd 2-15 Mar; at least one cont from winter. Brant: 8,000 Jam Bay 11 May, inc 3,000 in flocks rising high and moving northwest (PJL, SSM). “BLACK” BRANT: LCP 30 Mar (TWB, GaB, et al) and WPP (PJL, SSM ph) thru 6 Apr. BARNACLE GOOSE: Mtk thru 9 Mar, from winter. Tundra Swan: 4 (2 ads, 2 imms) Orient farm field SUFF 11-15 Mar (JBrJr); poss same birds also reported from Sagg 15 Mar and Barcelona Neck SUFF 16 Mar (JGi, BMcC). Wood Duck: m Ditch Plains, Mtk 16 Mar, roosting in steep swells on ocean with flock of Com. Eider! (AnW); max 16-18 HLSP 11 Apr. Gadwall; 200 Swan L, Patchogue SUFF 1 Mar. Eurasian Wigeon: m W Sayville Golf Course SUFF thru 1 Mar; 2 Old Field lighthouse SUFF 12 Mar; m Tobay 15 Mar; Mass 23 Mar, cont from winter; Greenwood Cemetery KING 9 Apr (MHa); prob hybrid w Am. Wigeon Mattituck SUFF 12 Mar (PG). Am. Wigeon: 200 W Sayville Golf Course SUFF 1 Mar. Blue-winged Teal: arr 3 MLUA 21 Mar (R McGovern). Green-winged Teal: 160 Pond X, Lawrence NASS 9 Mar; 200 Tobay 22 Mar. “EURASIAN” GREEN-WINGED TEAL: drakes Mass thru 23 Mar, CaPd 15 Mar, and Norman J. Levy Pres NASS 6 Apr, all cont from winter. Canvasback: 14 JBWE 11 Mar, usus loc; 18 EPd 16 Mar. The Kingbird 200S September; 58 (3) Redhead: 41 CaPd 9 Mar. Ring-necked Duck; 40+ St John’s Pd NASS 14 Mar. Greater Scaup; 15,000 Jam Bay 11 & 17 Mar; 15,000 Gravesend Bay RICH 25 Mar, began to disperse mid Apr; intro. Lesser Scaup; v large numbers Mar, e.g., 850 CaPd 9 Mar, 1100 EPd 16 Mar, 5000 West Pd, Jam Bay 17 Mar; intro. King Eider: 5-10 Ditch Plains, Mtk 2-30 Mar; imm m Bayville NASS thru 15 Mar, cont from winter. Com. Eider: max 5000 MP 2 Mar; CCP 18 May (SBi), late. Harlequin Duck: PL 2 Mar, cont from winter; m Cedar Beach, T Babylon SUFF 14-16 Mar (JQ, mob); Amagansett 19 Apr (AnW); 2 f MP 19 Apr. Surf Scoter: tens of thousands, est 30,000 MP 5 Mar. White-winged Scoter: est 300 MP 5 Mar. Black Scoter: est 15,000 MP 5 Mar. Bufflehead; max 662 MB 30 Mar. Com. Goldeneye: max 100+ GKP 3 Mar (TF). Barrow's Goldeneye; ad m Bayville-Centre Is NASS thru 7 Mar, cont from winter. Hooded Merganser: f lingered CP Res thru, v late. Com. Merganser: 39 CRSPP 13 Mar. Ruddy Duck: 500+ Jam Bay in Mar; 260 CaPd 9 Mar. Red-throated Loon: one hour counts of migrs Amagansett: 195 13 Apr, 340 19 Apr (AnW); 52 RMSP 21 May (SSM, PJL). Horned Grebe: generally low numbers, i.e., 30 Ditch Plains, Mtk 2 Mar; 26 Jam Bay 26 Apr (RKe). Red-necked Grebe: PL 2 Mar; 2 Brighton Beach RICH 3 Mar (SBl); Culloden Pt, Mtk 16 Mar (AnW); 2 Amagansett 13 Apr (AnW). Eared Grebe: Cedar Beach, T Babylon SUFF 14-16 Mar (JQ, mob). WESTERN GREBE: WPP 23 Mar (SWo!) thru 30 Mar (mob!). Sooty Shearwater: 2 Shinn 15 May (DF), first report; small numbers thru. Manx Sheanvater: Amagansett 20 Apr (AnW); first report; small numbers thru. 301 Wilson's Storm-Petrel; Shinn 17 May (PJL et al), inside bay, early. N. Gannet: 500+ ads Upper Raritan Bay RICH/KING 16 Mar (SWo); 2000+ off PL 16 Mar; 856 Amagansett 20 Apr (AnW); 100+ well inside Jones In 5 Apr (RJK). Great Cormorant: max 25+ WPP 16 Mar (SWo); last GKP 4 May. Am. Bittern: last GKP 25 May (SWo), late. Great Egret: NRSP thru 6 Mar, overwintered. Snowy Egret: arr LCP 22 Mar. Little Blue Heron: arr TRiCP 6 Apr (CS, SSw), early. Tricolored Heron: arr Jam Bay 20 Apr (SA). Cattle Egret; Oak Beach, T Babylon SUFF 15 Apr (K&SF); Jam Bay 20 Apr (SA). Green Heron: arr CP 12 Apr. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron: arr 6 Cow Meadow NASS (BBe) & Neck Creek RICH 30 Mar (CB); 14 nesting Cedarhurst NASS 13 Apr (CW), large number. Glossy Ibis: arr Gilgo 2 Apr. BLACK VULTURE (RIO): 1-2 MLUA, CLP, Snug Harbor RICH 26 Mar-2 May (mob); PP 13 Apr (SN); 29 May Riverhead SUFF (ABa). Turkey Vulture: increasingly common even into May east end and North Fork LI; max 8 Mtk 25 May (PR); 7 Orient SUFF 12 Mar; daily over Brown’s Hills Orient SUFF (TM) and Mtk “all of May and before” {fide HMcG). HAWKS - ALCIDS Osprey: arr Orient SUFF 9 Mar. MISSISSIPPI KITE: PP 18 May (SBl, DD, RC); IHP 25 May (KA). Bald Eagle: juv upper Manhattan NEWY 10 Mar; imm MLUA 2 Apr; ad CP 1 May; 2Y GKP 6 May; ad CP 10 May; 2 ads BHP 18 May; imm Springs EH 23 & 27 May; ad Shelter Is SUFF 24 May; juv CP 30 May. N. Harrier: up to 3 Grumman thru 26 Apr. Cooper's Hawk: increasingly common, many reports. Red-shouldered Hawk: imm MLUA 2 Mar (SA, SWo, DK); Greenbelt area RICH 15 Mar (HF); Mattituck SUFF 30 Mar (S&JBenson); PP 12 Apr (RJ); 2 Camp Hero, Mtk 22 May (VB). Broad-winged Hawk: migrs noted from CP 12-13 Apr thru mid May; 2 Camp Hero, Mtk 22 May (VB). Rough-legged Hawk: JBWE 2 Mar (KF); Grumman thru 30 Mar, cont from winter; dm Gardiner Is SUFF 15 Mar (AnW); Cutchogue SUFF 29 and 31 Mar (JBrSr). 302 Am. Kestrel: max 14 Grumman 26 Apr (RMcGr); at least one reported from here thru mid May, known nest site. Merlin; last report Lakeland CP SUFF 10 May (JGl). Com. Moorhen: Saw Mill Creek RICH 26 May (EJ). Am. Coot: max 170 Patchogue L SUFF 1 Mar. Black-bellied Plover: 95 Dune Rd CCP to Shinn 26 May. WILSON'S PLOVER: Napeague SUFF 11 May (M Bottini), ph to HMcG. Semipalmated Plover: 11 Apr Zach’s Bay JBSP(PJL, SSMph),v early. Piping Plover: arr 9 PL 22 Mar (M Bochnik et alf max 31 JBWE 23 Mar (BF). Am. Oystercatcher: 4 JBSP 9 Mar, poss arrivals. BLACK-NECKED STILT; 2 Hook Pd EH 14 Mar (KRu). Solitary Sandpiper: arr 3'^^' week Apr. Willet: arr Jam Bay 20 Apr (SA). Spotted Sandpiper: arr CP 12-13 Apr. Upland Sandpiper: JBWE 4 May (K&SF); 2 Grumman 19 May (ABa). Whimbrel; Big Egg Marsh QUEE 25 May (SWa); Ponquogue Bridge SUFF 26 May (E Marks). Ruddy Turnstone: 720 Dune Rd CCP to Shinn 26 May, Red Knot: 200+ JBWE 17 May; 107 Dune Rd CCP to Shinn 26 May. Sanderling; 900 Dune Rd CCP to Shinn 26 May. Semipalmated Sandpiper: 320 Dune Rd CCP to Shinn 26 May. Least Sandpiper; arr Jam Bay 20 Apr (SSM, PJL). White-rumped Sandpiper: arr MB 4 May. Purple Sandpiper: max 51 Gravesend Bay RICH 13 Apr (AxW); last 5 FT 27 May (RKe). Dunlin: 800+ JBWE 3 Mar; 670 Dune Rd SUFF 16 May. Short-billed Dowitcher: arr JBWE 4 May; 180 Dune Rd CCP to Shinn 26 May. Long-billed Dowitcher: Heckscher SP SUFF 7 Mar (KT, JGl); 8 Mass thru 17 Apr, from winter. Wilson’s Snipe: max 21 MLUA 22 Mar (EJ). Wilson's Phalarope: f Rita’s Horse Farm, Mtk 18 May (VB, BH); near Shinn 22 May (KT); MB 23-26 May (W&GBec, mob). Red-necked Phalarope: f Jam Bay 10 May (SA). RED PHALAROPE (RIO): alt m Shinn 18-24 May (JDi, AS, SSi ph, mob ph). The Kingbird 200^ September; 58 (3) Laughing Gull: arr ad alt DOP 15 Mar (AxW). Black-headed Gull: 1W Malibu Beach NASS 11 Mar (KF); ad Iron Pier, Northville SUFF 28 Mar, 3 Apr (JS; mob); IS MB 19-21 Apr (MC; mob). Bonaparte's Gull; 200 Gilgo 2 Mar; 300+ Malibu Beach NASS 11 Mar; last report 2 JBWE 4 May. Iceland Gull: imm GKP 2 Mar (SWo); IW Malibu Beach NASS 11 Mar (KF); lY WPP 14 Mar (SWo); Iron Pier, Northville SUFF 28 Mar-24 Apr; imm Tottenville RICH 30 Mar (SWo); WPP 6 Apr (SWo). Lesser Black-backed Gull: ad VSSP 14 Mar, cent from winter; 1-2 Arden Av, RICH mid Mar. Glaucous Gull: SY CHP 29 Mar (HF); 2S or 3S MB 20 Apr (AnW). Gull-billed Tern: arr 3 JBSP 30 Apr & Jam Bay 7 May, traditional sites; 2 PB 25 May (PJL), increasingly regular in spring on e LI. Caspian Tern: JBWE 9 Apr (SSch); 2 Carmans R, Mastic SUFF 18 Apr (PD, ME); JBWE 19 Apr (B May); 2-5 MB 19-21 (MC, K&SF, mob); ad Wertheim NWR SUFF 24 Apr (CS); Cedar Beach, Southold SUFF 26 Apr.; 2 MB 4 May. Royal Tern: 2 MB 18 May (JDi, AS, SSi); Napeague SUFF 24 May (KRu, BRu); both early. Roseate Tern: arr 2 CCP (PJL, SSM) and 10- 15 Cartwright Shoal, e SUFF (AnW) 16 May; max 54 Cedar Pt CP SUFF 26 May (KG). Com. Tern: arr 2 NRSP 24 Apr; max 200+ Amagansett 24 May (AnW). Forster's Tern: arr 5 JBWE 12 Apr. Least Tern: arr NRSP SUFF 24 Apr, early. Black Tern: arr JBWE 4 May (SSM, PJL); singles at PB 8 May, Shinn 17 May, CCP 20 May, all alt. Black Skimmer: arr Plum Beach RICH 17 May (RJ). THICK-BILLED MURRE; distant ind Jones In NASS 17 Apr was most likely this species (L&SSp). Razorbill: Amagansett 20 Apr (AnW), last report. PIGEONS - WOODPECKERS Monk Parakeet: JBWE 18 Apr (J&GF, JQ); Cow Meadow NASS 17 May (RJK), unus Iocs. Black-billed Cuckoo; arr PP U* wk May. Yellow-billed Cuckoo: arr CHP 27 Apr (SWo). The Kingbird 200^ September; 58 (3) Barn Owl: pr nested at Big John’s Pd, Jam Bay. Great Horned Owl: pr nested in Double- crested Cormorant nest at Stonybrook Mill Pd SUFF. Long-eared Owl: Calverton SUFF 21 May (R McGrath), loc and date suggest poss breeding. Short-eared Owl: max 4 Grumman 28-30 Mar, 3-16 Apr, cont from winter, intro. N. Saw-whet Owl: St George RICH 12 Mar (IG), in entryway of apt building. Com. Nighthawk: arr CP 13 May. Chuck-will's-widow: arr e LI territories U' week May; roosting bird CP 14 May. Whip-poor-will: roosting bird CP 14 Apr; Grumman 18 Apr (PD et al), first report from breeding loc. Chimney Swift: arr CP 14 Apr. Ruby-throated Hummingbird: arr CP 24 Apr. Belted Kingfisher: numerous reports early Mar supplementing wintering birds. Red-headed Woodpecker: ad CP 26-27 Apr, 6 May; PP 10 May (ECr, PPa); River Rd, Calverton SUFF 18 May (TWB, GaB), then pair discovered here 20 May thru (RMcGr, ESa), traditional site; ad Orient SUFF 29 May (RMcGi). Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: sap wells at NYC parks were food source for Scott’s Oriole and Western Tanager during Mar, Apr; 10+ Willowbrook P RICH 15 Apr (TBr, JGo), many; small numbers widely reported thru. FLYCATCHERS - WAXWINGS Olive-sided Flycatcher: CP 14,18, 21,29 May; PP 14 May; IHP 20 May (CFi, MBe); 2 PP 23 May (RJ et al.)-, APP 24 May (JGi et aiy, William Floyd Estate, Mastic Beach SUFF 24 May (CS, SSw). Acadian Flycatcher: arr CP 10 May, sev reports from this loc thru; Hoyt Farm P, T Smithtown SUFF 23 May (JGI); West Islip SUFF yard 27 May (RG); Jam Bay 30 May (DK), breeding loc; SSNC 30 May. Alder Flycatcher: singing HG 17 May (ESa, ESch, ABa); singing VCP 25 May; singing Jam Bay 31 May (RJK). Willow Flycatcher; arr CP 2 May. Least Flycatcher: arr CP 24 Apr (JDi). E. Phoebe: arr JBWE 12 Mar; max single site 35 PP 2 Apr. Great Crested Flycatcher: arr CP 24 Apr. E. Kingbird: arr CP 24 Apr. 303 SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER; ad PBP 5 May (fide RDe, ph to TWB); ad Grumman 18 May (RMcGr). N. Shrike: Grumman 16 Mar (CS); MLUA16 Mar (SWo); GKP 23 Mar (D Amos), from winter; imm SMSP 24 Mar (NK). White-eyed Vireo: arr PBP 16 Mar (DB), v early. Yellow-throated Vireo: arr Southards Pd, T Babylon SUFF 25 Apr. Blue-headed Vireo: arr CP and PP 12 Apr. Warbling Vireo: arr CHP and CP 26 Apr; on terr VSSP 30 Apr (BBe), v local breeder sw LI. Philadelphia Vireo: singing CP 3 May (fide TF); CP 28 May (JPO). Red-eyed Vireo: arr CP 26 Apr. Horned Lark: of 74 Nickerson Beach, Long Beach SUFF 3 Mar, 2 were apparently pratensis (PJL, SSM). Purple Martin: arr RMSP 21 Mar, early. Tree Swallow: 5 near Cedar Beach, T of Babylon SUFF thru 7 Mar; arr 20 JBWE 7 Mar. N. Rough-winged Swallow: arr HLSP 2 Apr. Bank Swallow: arr Gilgo 13 Apr. Cliff Swallow: arr PP 21 Apr. Barn Swallow: arr Jam Bay 9 Apr, early. Red-breasted Nuthatch: spring echo of last fall’s major flight evident. White-breasted Nuthatch; spring echo of last fall’s major flight evident; Tobay 13 Apr, unus on barrier beach. House Wren; arr southern end RICH 19 Apr. Winter Wren; max 8 southern end RICH 13 Apr. Marsh Wren; arr Tobay 13 Apr. Golden-crowned Kinglet: first migrs arr mid Mar. Ruby-crowned Kinglet: arr 3 PP 12 Mar (AxW), early. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher; arr CHP 2 Apr. Veery; arr HG 15 Apr, very early. Gray-cheeked Thrush; arr CP 7 May. BICKNELL’S THRUSH: calling CP 9 May, compared to simultaneously calling Swainson’s Thrush (fide TF); FP 18 May, based on plumage and calls (DF, mob). Swainson's Thrush: arr CP 2 May; reported in V good numbers from western parks, max 30 FPlSMay. Hermit Thrush: reported in good numbers; peaked 20-30 PP 12 Apr (RJ); last migr VSSP 18 May (BBe), late. Wood Thrush: arr CP 26 Apr; nested VSSP. Gray Catbird: many overwintered; notable influx noted CP 25-26 Apr; “explosion” PP 2 May; “many hundreds” CP 3 May. Brown Thrasher; many overwintered; migrs arr mid Apr. Am. Pipit: JBWE 23 Mar (BF); JBSP 5 Apr (RJK). Cedar Waxwing; widely reported thru; max 100+ PP4Mar. WARBLERS Blue-winged Warbler: arr 2 Apr Snug Harbor RICH (MSh), record early; next CP 23 Apr. “Lawrence’s” Warbler: PP 6 May (fide R Badia). Tennessee Warbler: arr CP and PP 3 May. Orange-crowned Warbler: LCP 14-21, 24 Mar, prob same bird; MLUA 22, 25 Mar; WPP 23,29 Mar, 8, 9 Apr, cont from winter; CP 2 May; Jam Bay 6 May, unus in spring. Nashville Warbler: arr CP 19 Apr. N. Parula; arr PP 12 Apr. Yellow Warbler; arr CP 17 Apr. Chestnut-sided Warbler: arr CP and SMSP 27 Apr. Magnolia Warbler: arr CP 25 Apr, Cape May Warbler: arr CP 24 Apr. Black-throated Blue Warbler: arr CP 26 Apr. Yellow-rumped Warbler: max 100+ Crooke’s Pt RICH 3 Mar, from winter; spring migrs arr early Apr, e.g. 50 Bay Pkwy JBSP 8 Apr. Black-throated Green Warbler: arr CP 19 Apr. Blackburnian Warbler: arr CP and PP 26 Apr. Yellow-throated Warbler: PP 22 Apr (EG, IC); CP 27 Apr (RDe et alf. Riverside P NEWY 11 May (LJ, JN); CP 17 May (SSa, et al)- IHP 23 May (KA). Pine Warbler: arr PP 6 Mar, early. Prairie Warbler: arr Southards Pd P, T Babylon SUFF 13 Apr, early. Palm Warbler: hypochrysea arr CCP 23 Mar. Bay-breasted Warbler: arr CP 3 May. Blackpoll Warbler: arr CHP 27 Apr. Cerulean Warbler: arr upper Manhattan NEWY, BHP, and FP 4 May; PP 10 May (ECr, P Pane, SBl); FP 10 May; Peconic SUFF 10 May (KH); PP (RJ) & APP (BBe) 17 May; IHP 23 May (KA); many. Black-and-white Warbler: arr TRiCP, Tobay, and HLSP 12 Apr. Am. Redstart: arr CP 26 Apr. Prothonotary Warbler: m arr CP 26 Apr; CLP 27 Apr (SWo, TDu); imm m Jam Bay 27 304 The Kingbird 200S September; 58 (3) Apr (JA, KL); Willowbrook P RICH 1 May; CRSPP 6 May (NL); PP 7 May (R Badia, GW), 2 here 8 May; APP 11 May (AGi et al.); Jam Bay 18 May (GS); PP 23 May; TRiCP 23 May; CLP 27 May; singing male exploring nest hole at SSNC 30 May, not seen subsequently. Worm-eating Warbler: arr PP 20 Apr. Ovenbird: FP 20 Mar (CFi), poss wintered; CP 16 Apr, more likely arr date. N. Waterthrush: arr Fuch’s Pd, Northport SUFF 11 Apr. Louisiana Waterthrush: arr CLP 25 Mar (RA, CFa), early. Kentucky Warbler; arr Brooklyn Botanical Garden KING 2 May; up to 4 PP 4-10 May; Mass 5 May; CP 7 May; FP 10 May; APP 12 May; Riverhead SUFF 15 May; Shelter I SUFF to 18 May; APP 23 May; Jam Bay 24 May. Mourning Warbler: arr Snug Harbor RICH 22 May; PP 23-24 May; 2 CP 23 May, up to 6 here 28 May; APP 23 May; 2 FP 25 May; Jam Bay 30 May; SSNC 30 May; 2 APP 31 May; FP 31 May. Com. Yellowthroat: NRSP 14 Mar, prob overwintered?; arr CP 19 Apr. Hooded Warbler: arr PP 12 Apr; many widespread reports thru, inc 6 NRSP 24 Apr; 4+ CP 4 May. Wilson's Warbler: arr JBWE 24 Apr. Canada Warbler: arr CP 2 May. Yellow-breasted Chat; Rocky Pt SUFF 25 Mar, 2 here 26 Mar (BCK), prob wintered in Region; arr? PP 26 Apr; Jam Bay 24 May. TANAGERS - WEAVERS Summer Tanager: f Ridgewood Res KING 20 Apr (DLa); ad m PP 7 May; m FP 10-17 May; Egypt Beach, EH 10 May; PP 10 May; Willowbrook P RICH 11-14 May; imm m Riverside P NEWY 14 May; Jam Bay 14 May; FP 16 May; imm m MP 16 May; Westhampton SUFF 20-21 May; PP 23 May; ad m CP 24 May. Scarlet Tanager: arr CP and PP 26 Apr. WESTERN TANAGER: CP 26 Mar-12 Apr (MP; mob!). E. Towhee: 8+ TRiCP 6 Apr (CS, S Swain), poss wintered locally; migrs noted supplementing winterers in Reg 12-13 Apr. Am. Tree Sparrow: last report 2 NRSP 24 Apr. Chipping Sparrow: arr JBWE 30 Mar (BBe). Vesper Sparrow: FT 10 Apr (RKe); CP 11 Apr (R Bate, et al.); GKP 13 Apr (SWo); DOP The Kingbird200% September; 58 (3) 13 Apr (AxW); RMSP 13 Apr; MLUA 21 Apr (RV); VSSP 30 Apr (BBe); Dell Water RICH 5 May (MZ); 2 Gabreski Airport, Westhampton SUFF, breeding loc. Lark Sparrow: Greenwood Cemetery KING 3 May (JBo), unus in spring. Savannah Sparrow: first migrs supplementing winterers noted 11-12 Apr. Grasshopper Sparrow: arr first wk May; breeding birds inc 2 Grumman 18 May; GA 20 May; 23 Napeague SUFF 25 May. Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow: Jam Bay 10 May (TWB, GaB); CCP 25 May (PJL, SSM). Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow: arr GCP 2 May. Seaside Sparrow: arr 2 GCP 24 Apr. Fox Sparrow: last report CP and southern RICH 14 Apr. Lincoln’s Sparrow: arr CP 2 May. White-throated Sparrow: migrs supplementing winterers noted around 24 Apr, White-crowned Sparrow: JBWE thru 9 Mar. Dark-eyed Junco: migrs supplementing winterers noted around 10 Apr. Snow Bunting: 2 JBWE 6 Apr (SSM, PJL), late. Rose-breasted Grosbeak: GCP 26 Mar (PJL), wintered locally or v early arr?; arr CP 20 Apr. Blue Grosbeak: imm m PP 3 May (PD, mob); m PP 7 May; m Radar Access Rd, Calverton SUFF 21 May thru (MHi), prob breeder; PP 23 May; singing m road to Kismet Fire I SUFF 25-26 May (EsCu); f Cedar Pt CP SUFF 26 May (W«&GBe). Indigo Bunting: arr JBWE 21 Apr, PAINTED BUNTING: f Cedarhurst feeder NASS 6 May (CW, ph to PJL). Dickcissel: ad m CP 10-11 May (LB, mob), rare in spring. Bobolink: arr CP and PP 2 May. E. Meadowlark: at least 15 cont from winter at Grumman, breeders reported from here thru mid May. Rusty Blackbird: max 12+ Willowbrook P RICH 15 Apr (TBr et al); 10 APP 24, 29 Apr; smaller numbers reported widely. Boat-tailed Grackle: cont to increase, esp between Gilgo and Jam Bay. Orchard Oriole: arr CP 19 Apr. SCOTT’S ORIOLE: from winter, rediscovered near and in Tompkins Sq P NEWY end Mar {fide LS), singing here 1-2 Apr (R Bate, ABo, mob). Baltimore Oriole: ad m PP thru 4 Mar (AxW), Shelter I SUFF 17 Mar, wintered; arr 18 Apr. 305 Purple Finch: spring arr supplemented wintering birds beginning of Apr. Red Crossbill: late reports include 7 Barcelona Neck SUFF 16 Mar (JGi, BMcC); 10 EH 1 Apr (HMcG); 4 (2m, 2f) Maple Swamp SUFF 19 Apr (BA et al.) and 3 here 26 Apr (ABa, et al.); 2 Samoff Pres SUFF 6 - 7 May; Northwest Woods EH 20 May (HMcG); intro. Com. Redpoll: max 25 Gin Beach Mtk 10 Mar; last 16 Jam Bay and 3 CLP 22 Mar. Pine Siskin: 3 SSNC feeder 18 Apr (PD); 12 CRSPP feeder thru 8 May; FP 8 May (CFi), migr; PP 10 May (RC); CP 2"‘^ week May {fide TF). EXOTICS South African Shelduck: Belmont L SP SUFF 10 Mar, present for many years. Black-faced Lovebird; NY Botanical Garden 14 Mar (ABl). European Goldfinch: HLSP 13 Apr (DF, mob). 306 The Kingbird September; 58 (3) STANDARD ABBREVIATIONS Regional rarities appear in BOLD; county names are shortened to their first four letters and appear in UPPER CASE letters; months are shortened to their first three letters. In species accounts: number of individuals omitted implies that one individual was reported; ! - details seen by Regional Editor; ad - adult; Alt - Alternate plumage; Am. - American; arr - arrival or first of season; BBS - Breeding Bird Survey; BOTS - bird of the season; CBC - Christmas Bird Count; CO - confirmed nesting; Com. - Common; E. - Eastern; FL - fledgling; FY - adult feeding young; I - Island; imm - immature; intro - see introduction to report; juv - juvenile; L - Lake; max - maximum; mob - multiple observers; N. - Northern; NYSDEC - New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; NWR - National Wildlife Refuge; NYSARC - report to New York State Avian Records Committee; P - Park; Pd - Pond; ph - photographed; Pt - Point; Res - Reservoir; Ri - River; SP - State Park; spm - specimen; subad - subadult; T - Town of; thru - throughout period; Twn - township; W. - Western; WMA - Wildlife Management Area; y - young. REPORTING REGIONS Regional boundaries coincide with county lines, except at: Region 1-Region 2 in Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming Counties: the boundary is NY Route 98 from Pt. Breeze to Batavia; NY Route 63 from Batavia to Pavilion, and NY Route 19 from Pavilion to the Allegany County line. Region 2-Region 3 in Ontario County: the boundary is Mud Creek to NY Route 64, NY Route 64 from Bristol Center to S. Bristol Springs, and Route 21 from S. Bristol Springs to the Yates County line. Region 3-Region 5 in Cayuga County: the boundary is NY Route 31. REPORTING DEADLINES Winter Season: December, January, February Deadline is 7 March Spring Season: March, April, May Deadline is 7 June Summer Season: June, July, August Deadline is 7 September Fall Season: September, October, November Deadline is 7 December The Kingbird 200^ September; 58 (3) 307 The Kingbird 2008 September; 58 (3) O 00 REGION NAMES AND NUMBERS 1. NIAGARA FRONTIER 6. ST. LAWRENCE 2. GENESEE 3. FINGER LAKES 4. SUSQUEHANNA 5. ONEIDA LAKE BASIN 7. ADIRONDACK-CHAMPLAIN 8. HUDSON-MOHAWK 9. HUDSON-DELAWARE 10. MARINE Editor of The Kingbird Shaibal S. Mitra Biology Dept., College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10314 Editor of New York Birders Tim Baird 242 E. State St., Salamanca, NY 14779 Appointed Committees Archives: Phyllis R. Jones, Chair—9 Hallock Road, Pond Eddy, NY 12770 Awards: Andrew Mason, 1039 Peck St., Jefferson, NY 12093 Conservation: Gail Kirch—1099 Powderhouse Rd., Vestal, NY 13850 John Confer—651 Hammond Hill Rd., Brooktondale, NY 14817 Finance: Berna B. Lincoln, Chair—P.O. Box 296, Somers, NY 10589 John J. Elliott Memorial: Shaibal S. Mitra—Biology Dept., College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10314 New York State Avian Records: Angus Wilson, Chair Send reports to: Jeanne Skelly, Secretary for NYSARC 420 Chili-Scottsville Rd., Churchville, NY 14428 Publications: Emanuel Levine, Chair—585 Mead Terrace, S. Hempstead, NY 11550 Waterfowl Count: Bryan L. Swift NYSDEC Bureau of Wildlife, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4754 Web Site: Carena Pooth—22 Brothers Rd., Poughquag, NY 12570 Elected Committees Nominating: Bill Cook, Tom Sarro, Kathryn Schneider (Chair) Auditing: Irving Cantor (Chair), Peter Capainolo, Isaac Grant A The Kingbird Publication of NYS Ornithological Assoc., Inc. RO. Box 95 Durhamville, NY 13054 Change Service Requested DO NOT FOLD PRESORTED STANDARD | NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID HICKSVILLE, NY 11801 PERMIT NO. 583